""• 


PLAT 

REPKESENTING  THE  THREE  SPECIES  OF  MANKIND. 


Fiu.  61. 


THE    CYLINDU1CAL    PILED. 


THE    (IVAL    PILED. 


THE    EUOENTRICALLY-ELLII'TICAL    PILK1>. 


TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM : 


A   TREATISE 


ON  THE  ORGANIZATION,  PROPERTIES  AND  USES  OF 


HAIR  AND  WOOL; 


TOGETHER    WITH 


AN  ESSAY  UPON  THE  RAISING  AND  BREEDING  OF  SHEEP. 


PETER    A.    BROWNE,    L.    L.    D., 


OF   rHILADELl'IIIA. 


"DUCIT    AMOR    PATRICE." 


PUBLISHED  UNDER  THE  PATRONAGE  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.    H.   JONES,    PRINTER,   NO.   34    CARTER'S   ALLEY. 

1853. 


TO  THE  HONORABLE 

THE  SENATE  AND  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 


OF   THE 


COMMONWEALTH   OF  PENNSYLVANIA, 


THIS    WORK    IS    RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED    BY    ITS 


AUTHOK. 


;»«v».».     . 

''j .-  *J :    •  v 

•  •  »•*.,?••. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853,  by 

PETER  A.  BROWNE,  L.  L.  D., 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PREFACE. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  includes  all  the  works  of  the  Mighty  Creator;  her  votaries,  with 
the  aid  of  the  telescope,  measure  the  parallax  of  the  most  distant  stars,  and,  with  the 
microscope,  scrutinize  the  minutest  portion  of  the  smallest  infusoria,  plant,  or  crystal. 
Nothing  for  them  is  too  large,  nothing  too  small  for  examination,  which  God  has  placed 
within  their  reach.  If  the  Deity  has  not  deemed  it  beneath  His  dignity  to  create  an 
object,  surely  it  would  be  presumptive  in  man  to  consider  it  too  insignificant  for  his 
study.  Then  let  no  one  marvel  that  we  have  devoted  so  much  time  to  ascertain  the 
organization,  properties  and  uses  of  hair  and  wool.  To  the  unreflecting,  this  department 
of  knowledge  may,  at  first  view,  appear  to  be  trifling;  but,  with  each  successive  advance, 
it  will  acquire  more  importance. 

The  Science  which  relates  to  Pile  may  be  called  TRICHOLOGY,  (from  Trix,  a  hair ;) 
its  descriptive  part  is  TRICHOGRAPHY.  It  is  a  branch  of  Zoology,  or  rather  of  Mammo- 
logy;  and,  so  far,  it  is  connected  with  Physiology,  Anatomy  and  Comparative  Anatomy. 
Some  of  its  discoveries  shed  new  light  upon  the  ethnological  problem  of  the  unity  of  the 
human  species,  and  others  will  be  found  to  be  intimately  connected  with  those  branches 
of  agricultural  industry,  which  relate  to  the  raising  of  Sheep  and  producing  of  wool,  and 
the  raising  of  Swine  for  the  bristles.  It  embraces  a  large  field  of  inquiry,  many  parts  of 
which  are  yet  only  partially  explored. 

In  our  progress  we  have  endured  considerable  mental  labor  and  encountered  some 
unexpected  difficulties;  but,  cheered  by  the  countenance  and  aided  by  a  few  scientific 
friends,  we  have  pursued  a  steady  course,  and  have,  at  length,  brought  our  examinations 
to  a  tolerably  successful  termination.  It  will  be  recollected  that  we  were  obliged,  in  the 
first  instance,  to  collect  the  materials;  and,  after  years  of  untiring  exertions,  we  have  at 
length  the  largest  and  the  most  valuable  known  cabinet  of  pile.  In  the  meantime  we 
attended  lectures  on  Physiology  and  Anatomy.  We  have  made  use  of  none  but  superior 
instruments,  and  some  of  these  are  entirely  new— either  in  themselves  or  their  application 
to  this  study.  We  have  availed  ourselves  of  the  researches  of  those  who  have  gone  over 
the  ground  before  us,  at  all  times  acknowledging  their  truthfulness  and  pointing  out  their 
errors.  We  have  carefully  preserved  the  specimens  from  which  our  drawings  are  made, 
for  future  re-examination,  if  desirable.  Upon  a  theme  so  extensive,  and  comparatively  so 
novel,  we  do  not  expect  to  have  escaped  error;  but  we  trust  that  when  pointed  out,  we 
shall  ever  be  found  ready  to  acknowledge  and  correct  them. 

P.  A.  BROWNE, 

Philadelphia. 


356999 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.— PART  I Of  the  word  "  Pile,"  page  7.    The  Definition  of  Pile,  7.    The  Description  of  Pile,  7. 

The  most  important  Division  of  Pile,  8.  Of  Fleece,  9.  Pile  and  Feathers  have  I  een  confounded,  9. 
Description  of  a  Feather,  9.  The  difference  between  a  Hair  and  a  Feather,  10.  The  Tegumentary 
Appendages  of  the  Ostrich,  11.  The  Down  of  young  Birds,  11.  The  Eye-Lashes  of  the  Ostrich,  11. 
The  Beard  of  the  Turkey,  and  Whalebone,  11.  The  Pile  of  the  Ornithoryncbus,  12. 

PART  II.— The  Mantle  and  Hair-like  Processes  of  the  Armadillo,  14.  Description  of  the  Hair-Like  Pro- 
cesses, 14.  Of  Scales,  15.  The  Scales  of  the  Pangolin,  &c.,  15.  Particular  Description  of  them,  15. 
Scales  of  Prehensile  Tails,  16.  The  Scales  of  the  Tail  of  the  Possum,  16.  Scales  of  the  Tail  of  the 
Muskrat,  16.  Scales  of  the  Tail  of  the  Field-Mouse,  16.  Scales  of  the  Tails  of  some  Monkeys,  16. 
Remarks  on  the  Scales  of  Prehensile  Tails,  17.  Of  Fibrous  Protuberances  resembling  Horn,  17.  Their 
Comparison  with  true  Horn,  17.  The  Horn  of  the  Rhinoceros,  18.  The  Hair  of  the  Ear  of  the  same,  18. 
Of  Spines,  18.  The  Spines  of  the  Porcupine,  18.  The  Spines  of  the  Pecary,  19.  Of  Whiskers,  19. 
The  Whiskers  of  the  Rabbit,  20.  The  Whiskers  of  the  Irish  Hare,  20.  The  Whiskers  of  the 
Possum,  21.  Of  Bristles,  21.  The  Bristles  of  the  Russian  Wild  Boar,  22.  Comparison  of  Dimensions 
of  Bristles,  22.  Comparison  of  Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  the  same,  22.  Of  Mane  Hair,  23. 
The  Mane  of  the  Lion,  24.  The  Mane  of  the  Horse,  24.  Mane  of  the  Cervus  Canadensis,  24.  Mane 
of  the  Cameleopard,  24.  Of  Tail  Hairs,  24.  The  Tail  Hairs  of  the  Hippopotamus,  25.  The  Tail  Hairs 
of  the  Zebra,  25.  The  Tail  Hairs  of  the  Cervus,  25.  The  Tail  Hairs  of  the  Arabian  Bull,  25.  The 
Tail  Hairs  of  the  Elephant,  25. 

CHAPTER  II.— How  Pile  grows,  26.  Of  the  different  parts  of  a  Filament  of  Pile,  26.  Of  the  Button,  27. 
The  Cells  of  the  Button,  27.  The  Normal  Shape  of  the  Button  of  the  Head  of  one  of  the  Oval- 
Haired  Species,  27.  The  Shaft,  drawn  out  of  the  Button,  27.  Buttons  of  Hairs  that/«//  out,  28.  Hairs 
with  no  Button,  28.  The  Button  of  the  Cylindrical-Haired  Species,  28.  The  Button  of  the  Eccentrically 
Elliptical-Piled  Species,  28.  Buttons  on  other  Hairs  of  the  Body,  &c.,  28.  Of  the  Ear,  29.  Of  the 
Eye-Brow,  29.  Of  the  Eye-Lashes.  29.  Of  the  Nose,  30.  Of  the  Common  Whiskers  of  Man,  30.  Of 
the  Beard,  30.  Three  Shafts  growing  out  of  one  Button,  30.  The  Fashions  of  wearing  the  Hair  and 
Beard,  30.  Button  of  the  Hair  of  the  Arm-pit,  31.  Of  the  Pubes,  32.  A  Remarkable  Case,  32.  Of 
the  Button  of  the  Hair  of  the  Limbs,  33.  Of  the  Body,  33.  General  Remarks  upon  Buttons,  33.  Of  thr 
Buttons  of  the  Hairs  of  the  Lower  Animals.  34.  Of  the  Apex  of  Pile,  34.  Of  Dichophy,  35.  Of 


vi  TABLE  OF  CONTEXTS. 

its  Cause,  3G.  Of  Branched  Pile,  36.  Of  the  Cortex  of  Pile,  36.  Of  the  Scales  of  the  Cortex,  37. 
Their  Use,  37.  Of  Ribbons  of  Cortex,  37.  Of  the  Paved  Cortex,  37.  Examples  of  the  same,  37.  Of 
the  Hair  of  the  Stag,  38.  Of  that  of  the  Elk,  39.  Th;it  of  the  Dicranoceros  Americanus,  39.  That  of  the 
Sloth,  40.  Of  the  Fibres  of  Pile,  41.  A  Crushed  Hair,  41.  The  Use  of  Fibres,  42.  Of  the  Centre  of 
Pile,  42.  Of  the  Pile  of  the  Dog-Faced  Monkey,  42.  Of  the  Coloring  Matter  in  the  Hair  of  the  Bat,  43. 
An  Optical  Deception,  43.  The  Coloring  Matter  of  Pile  in  general,  44.  Of  the  Follicle  of  Pile,  46. 
Where  the  Follicle  is  found,  46.  How  it  is  formed,  47.  Of  Pile  without  a  Follicle,  48.  Examples  of 
Follicles  of  the  three  Species  of  Men,  49.  The  Follicle  of  the  Hair  of  Hybrids,  49.  Of  the  Vitality  of 
Pile,  49.  Of  Vessels  of  Pile,  50.  Of  the  Secretion  of  Pile,  50. 

CHAPTER  III — Of  a  Perfect  Hair,  51.  Characteristics  of  Pile  of  the  Head  of  Man,  51.  Examples  of 
three  General  Forms,  51.  Of  Particular  Forms,  51.  To  whom  these  forms  belong,  52.  Of  the  Ductility, 
Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  Pile,  53.  The  Essential  Properties  of  Pile,  53.  The  Endurance  of  these 
Properties,  54.  Of  Contractibility,  55.  Table  of  the  Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  Pile,  56.  Of 
the  Trichometer,  57.  Modus  Operand!,  57.  Of  the  Direction  of  Pile,  57.  The  Laws  of  Direction  of 
Pile,  57.  The  Reasons  of  the  Laws,  57.  The  Proofs,  58.  The  Consequences,  58.  Of  the  General 
Inclination  of  Pile,  58.  Of  Particular  Inclinations,  58.  On  the  Body  and  Members,  59.  Of  the  Incli- 
nation of  the  Pile  of  the  Lower  Animals,  59.  The  Classification  of  Pile  of  the  Human  Head,  59.  The 
Classification  of  Mankind  by  the  Pile  of  their  Heads,  59.  The  Pile  of  the  present  American  Indians' 
Head,  59.  The  Pile  of  the  Mound  and  Mummy  American  Indian,  59.  The  Peculiarities  and  Affinities 
of  these  Piles,  63.  Of  the  Pile  of  the  Chinese,  63.  Of  the  Pile  of  the  Oval-Haired  Species,  63.  The 
Pile  of  Egyptian  and  Thebes  Mummies,  64.  Of  the  Pile  of  the  Eccentrically  Elliptical  Species,  65.  Of 
the  Bushman  Boy,  65.  The  Description  of  his  Wool,  66.  The  Wool  of  Congo  Billy,  66.  Inferences 
from  the  foregoing,  66.  Of  Hybrids,  67.  The  Division  and  Nomenclature  of  Hybrids,  67.  Examples  of 
the  same,  67.  Tables  of  Simple  Hybrids,  68.  Tables  of  Compound  Hybrids,  70.  Of  the  Covering  of 
the  Heads  of  Hybrids,  73.  Some  Examples  of  the  same  of  Simple  Hybrids,  74;  and  of  the  Compound 
Hybrids,  74.  Of  the  Classification  of  the  Lower  Animals  by  their  Pile,  76. 

CHAPTER  IV.— Of  the  Color  of  Pi!e,  77.  Of  Black  Hair,  77.  Of  the  Original  Color  of  Hair,  77. 
Blackness  in  Hair  no  sign  of  Strength,  78.  The  Variance  between  the  Color  of  the  Hair  and  that  of  the 
Eyes  of  Man,  78.  Brown  Hair,  78.  Red  Hair,  79.  Yellow  Hair,  79.  White  Hair,  79.  The  Pile  of 
the  Albino,  79.  The  Examination  of  the  Pile  of  the  White  Albino,  80.  The  same  of  the  Black  Albino,  8 1 . 
Of  Albinos  among  the  Eccentrically  Elliptical  Species,  83.  Inferences  from  the  foregoing  Examinations,  83. 
Change  of  Color  of  Pile  at  the  Period  of  Puberty,  84.  Of  Monochromatic  and  Polychromatic  Pile,  84. 
Of  the  Changes  of  the  Color  of  Pile  other  than  at  the  Period  of  Puberty,  85.  Of  Athipilie,  86.  Of  Pile 
of  Man  losing  its  Color,  86.  Several  Interesting  Cases,  86.  An  Experiment,  87.  The  Cause  of  the 
Sudden  Loss  of  Color  of  Pile,  88.  Of  the  Gradual  Loss  of  Color  in  Pile,  88.  Of  the  Cause  of  this 
Gradual  Loss,  88.  Of  the  American  Indian  turning  Grey,  88.  Of  the  Rete  Mucosum,  89.  How  it  is 
with  the  Lower  Animals,  90.  Whether  the  Color  of  Pile  is  Influenced  by  External  Causes,  90.  Of  the 
Polarization  of  Light  by  Pile,  91.  Of  Dyeing  Pile,  92. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  V.— Pile  belongs  to  the  Dennis,  93.  Where  Pile  not  usually  found  in  the  Dermis,  93.  Of  Pile 
of  the  Scalp,  94.  Of  Climactric  Pile,  94.  When  Pile  first  makes  its  appearance,  95.  Its  first  appear- 
ance on  the  young  Possum,  95.  Of  the  three  Varieties  of  Pile  of  the  Head  of  the  Oval-Haired  Species,  95. 
Of  Accidental  Pile,  96.  The  Hair  found  in  Ovaries,  96.  Their  Examination  and  Description,  97.  Pile 
from  the  Uterus,  98.  From  the  Stomach,  99.  Of  Pile  which  appears  to  grow  on  the  Interior  of  the  Skin 
of  some  of  the  Lower  Animals,  99. 

CHAPTER  VI.— Of  the  Dimensions  of  Pile,  101 .  The  Comparative  Length  of  the  Pile  of  some  of  the 
Lower  Animals,  101.  The  best  manner  of  ascertaining  the  Diameter  of  Pile,  102.  Of  Hypertrophy,  103. 
Of  Depilation,  103.  The  Discotome,  103.  Of  Tapering  Pile,  104.  Of  Pile  Manipulations,  105.  The 
Exuberance  of  Pile,  105.  Of  Pile  growing  in  Tufts,  106.  The  Rapid  Growth  of  Pile,  106.  The 
Regeneration  of  Pile,  106.  Gradual  and  Periodical  Decidence  of  Pile,  107.  The  Restoration  of  Pile, 
&c.,  108.  The  Endurance  of  Pile,  109.  The  Transplanting  of  Pile,  110.  The  Effect  of  Diseases  of  the 
Body  upon  Pile,  110.  The  Diseases  of  Pile,  110.  Of  Pile  in  Plica  Polonica,  110.  An  Incipient  Case,  111. 
Of  Pile  in  Tinea  Capitis,  112.  Of  Pile  in  Softening  of  the  Brain,  113.  In  Coxalgia,  114.  In  Scrofula,  114. 
In  Phthisis,  114.  In  Phthisis  Cavernis,  115.  In  Chronic  Pleurisy,  115.  In  African  Fever,  115.  In 
Intermittent,  116.  In  Acute  Rheumatism,  116.  In  Albuminurea,  116.  In  Scrofula,  116.  In  Typhoid 
Fever,  116.  In  Intermittent,  117.  In  Anomia,  117.  In  Phthisis  Tuberculosis,  117.  In  Syphilis,  117 
and  118.'  In  Chronic  Bronchitis,  118.  In  Pregnancy,  118.  In  Acute  Rheumatism,  118.  In  Neu- 
ralgia, 118.  In  Amenorrhcea,  119.  In  Albuminuria;,  119.  In  Typhoid  Fever,  119.  Of  the  Pile  of 
Lunatics,  119.  Pile  from  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  119.  From  the  Frankford  Hospital,  119.  Recapitu- 
lation in  Tabular  form,  121.  The  Pennsylvania  Hospital  Cases  examined,  122.  The  Decay  and  Death 
of  Pile,  123.  Of  Baldness,  124.  Of  Pile  Growing  after  Death,  125.  The  Examination  of  the  same,  125. 

CHAPTER  VII.— Of  Hair  separated  from  the  Body  acquiring  a  New  Life,  127.  The  Electricity  of  Pile,  127. 
Pile  as  a  Conductor  of  Caloric,  128.  The  Effect  of  Climate  and  Seasons  upon  Pile,  128.  The  Effect  of 
the  Skin  upon  Pile,  128.  The  Specific  Gravity  of  Pile,  129.  Fossilized  Pile,  131.  The  Hygroscopic 
Property  of  Pile,  131.  The  Analysis  of  Pile,  131.  Pile  Dyed,  Melted  and  Distilled,  132.  The  Ele- 
ments of  Pile  in  Blood  and  Milk,  132.  The  Examination  of  Pile,  132.  The  Hair  Revolver  ai  d 
Stretcher,  133.  Of  Describing  Pile,  133. 

CHAPTER  VIII.— The  Beauty  of  Pile,  135.  The  Uses  of  Pile  to  the  Animal,  135.  Its  Uses  in  Manu- 
factures and  the  Arts,  139.  The  Wool  of  the  Sheep,  139.  Of  the  Mountain  Sheep,  140.  Of  the  Goat,  141 . 
The  Goat  of  Thibet,  141.  The  Angora  Goat,  141.  The  Goat  of  Kirguis,  142.  The  Introduction  of 
these  Goats  into  the  United  States,  142.  The  Manama,  143.  The  Pile  of  the  Common  Goat,  144.  The 
Camel,  144.  The  Lama,  146.  The  Vicunia,  147.  The  Paca  or  Alpaca,  147.  Of  Staple,  148.  Of 
Stapling,  148.  The  Strength  of  Pile,  149.  Of  the  Fineness  of  Fleece,  150.  Softness  of  Staple,  151. 
Of  Breeding  and  Raising  Swine  for  the  Bristles,  151. 

CHAPTER  IX. -Of  Raising  and  Breeding  of  Sheep,  153.  Of  Felts  and  Feltinq-,  154.  The  Felting 
Property,  154.  The  Scales  upon  the  Cortex,  155.  Their  Shape  and  Position,  156.  Of  Fulling,  156. 


iii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

Spiral  Curls,  156.  Of  the  Fleece  for  Manufacturing  Articles  that  will  not  Shrink,  157.  Of  Sheep,  157. 
The  Two  Species  of  Sheep,  158.  The  Golden  Rule  in  Sheep  Breeding,  158.  Two  Questions  pro- 
pounded, 158.  The  Definition  of  Species,  158.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Smith's  Definition,  158.  Those  of 
Van  Amringe  and  Mills,  159.  The  application  of  the  former  to  our  Subject,  159.  That  of  the  latter,  160. 
The  Principles  of  Agassis,  161.  The  True  Criterion  of  Species,  161.  Some  Examples,  161.  Of  the 
Ass,  162.  Of  Goat  and  Sheep  Intermixing,  163.  Mr.  Youatt's  Account  of  an  attempt  to  Amalgamate 
two  Species  of  Sheep,  164.  Dr.  Robert  Knox's  Opinion,  164.  Col.  Randall's  Opinion,  164.  The 
Abhorrence  of  Animals  to  Amalgamate,  165.  Van  Amringe's  Opinion  in  regard  to  Mulattoes,  166.  The 
Admission  of  Dr.  Prichard,  167.  An  Answer  to  a  supposed  Objection,  167.  Col.  Smith's  Notion  of  a 
White  Person,  169.  Prof.  Wagner's  Definition  of  Species,  170.  Our  Position  supported  by  Scripture,  170. 
Answer  to  an  anticipated  Objection,  171.  Example  of  the  Woolly  Sheep  Species,  171.  Example  of  the 
Hairy  Sheep  Species,  172.  Of  Worsted  Manufactories  in  the  United  States,  Conclusion,  173. 


CHAPTER   I. 


PLATE   I. 


Fy.2. 


TiyA-i. 


Fiy.  6-e.  e 


Fjgr_8. 


Tly.t 


Kg.10.   b 


(1) 


PLATE   II. 


-_— — ___     FiaUb 


fm.  12  2. 


Tljtt  i 


Fia.127. 


"•  •-:*>* 
s  • 


Tra  IS. 


(2) 


TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

OR  , 

A   TREATISE    ON   PILE. 

CHAPTER    I . 
PART    I. 

OF  THE  WORD  PILE. — There  is  no  English  term,  in  common  use,  which  includes  hair 
and  wool;  we  have,  therefore,  adopted  the  word  "Pile."*  It  is  true  that  there  are  some 
animals,  (belonging  partly  to  the  Carnaria,  and  partly  to  the  Rodentia,)  upon  whose  bodies 
are  found  both  hair  and  wool,  that  are  called  "the/wr-bearing  animals,"  from  which  some 
might  infer  that  "fur"  is  a  generic  term,  including  both  these  integuments;  but  there  are 
other  animals,  upon  whose  bodies  are  found  both  hair  and  wool,  that  are  not  so  denominated, 
wherefore  it  would  have  been  improper  to  have  placed  the  word  "fur"  at  the  head  of  this 
Chapter. 

OF  THE  DEFINITION  OF  PILE. — We  have  never  seen  an  accurate  definition,  nor  even  an 
exact  description,  of  pile,  hair  or  wool. 

A  definition,  to  be  logical,  should  furnish  a  general  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  genus  of 
the  object  defined,  with  all  the  essential  specific  differences.  To  do  this  we  are  not,  at 
present,  prepared.  But  a  description  may  pass  examination,  if  it  contains  the  most  remarka- 
ble properties  of  the  object  described.  This  we  shall  attempt  to  make  with  the  word  pile. 

OF  THE  DESCRIPTION  OF  PILE. — (See  fig.  1.) — We  describe  pile  to  be  a  filamentous 
appendage  of  the  dermis  of  the  mammalia, — formed  of  gelatine  and  proteine, — emanating 
from  cells, — growing  at  its  lower  extremity  only, — consisting  of,  first  a  follicle,  which  is, 
for  the  most  part,  imbedded  in  the  dermis ;  though  sometimes  found  partly  in  the  adipose 
tissue,  connected  with  vessels  and  nerves ;  and,  secondly,  an  insensible  protruding  shaft, 
terminating  at  its  inferior  extremity  in  a  button,  and  at  its  superior  one  in  a  point.  This 
shaft  is  composed  of,  1st,  a  squamose  and  imbricated  or  paved  cortex;  2dly,  a  fibrous  inter- 
mediate substance,  and  3dly,  a  coloring  matter.  Pile  possesses  great  ductility,  flexibility, 
elasticity  and  tenacity, — being  highly  electric, — polarizing  light  in  an  eminent  degree;  is 
of  great  endurance, — having  but  little  hygroscopic  property;  very  little  power  to  conduct 

*  From  "pili/s,"  a  hair. 


.•     -•-•.•• 

.'         •  -        •  •  •     •  •  •'  . 


TIUCIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM  ; 


caloric;  a  very  Icnv  specific  gravity;  no  contractibility,  and  is  of  gradual  and  periodical 
decidence.* 

THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  DIVISION  OF  PILE. — Pile  is  divided  into  hair  and  wool.  (See  fig. 
2.)  Hair  and  wool  differ,  one  from  the  other,  as  follows: — 

1st.  In  shape, — hair  being  either  cylindrical,  cylindroidal,  oval  or  ovoid al, — while  wool 
is  eccentrically  elliptical. 

2d.  In  uniformity  of  shape  of  the  same  filament, — hair  being  generally  the  same  shape 
throughout  the  filament, — while  wool  is  less  uniform  in  this  particular. 

3d.  In  the  formation  of  the  cortex,  the  scales  of  which  upon  hair  are  less  numerous,  less 
pointed,  and  more  depressed, — while  those  upon  wool  are  more  numerous,  more  pointed, 
and  less  depressed. 

4th.  In  direction, — hair  being  either  straight,  flowing,  or  curled, — while  wool  is  crisped 
and  frizzled,  and  sometimes  spirally  curled.  (See  Frontispiece.) 

*  EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS. — Every  part  of  the  above  description  will,  in  its  turn,  in  the  succeeding  page?,  become  a  subject 
of  discussion;  wherefore,  all  that  is  here  required,  is  to  explain,  briefly,  some  of  the  terms. 

"  Filamentus,"  from  (filamentum,}  a  fine  slender  thread;  used  synonymously  with  "fibre,"  (fibra;)  but  we  prefer  the 
use  of  the  word" filamentous,  reserving  the  words  fibre  and  fibril,  (a  small  fibre,)  for  the  description  of  the  intermediate  sub- 
stance of  the  shaft. 

"Appendage."     Something  that,  being  less  than  the  principal,  is  annexed  or  added  to  it. 

"  Dermis."  The  cutaneous  system  is  divided  into  an  external,  including  the  dcrmis  and  epidermis,  and  an  internal  or 
mucous  membrane.  Pile  belongs  to  the  dermis,  but  sometimes  penetrates  to  the  adipose  tissue. 

We  have  not  made  an  extensive  microscopic  examination  of  the  skin ;  and  will  therefore  content  ourselves  with  giving  the 
description  of  it  found  in  the  books. 

It  is  represented  as  consisting  of  four  principal  portions,  viz: — 

1st.  The  epidermis,  or  cuticle,  which  forms  the  outermost  layer.  This  is  of  membranous  structure,  and  is  devoid  of  vessels 
and  nerves,  and  of  course  insensible.  It  is  pierced  with  minute  oblique  holes,  for  the  passage  of  hairs,  and  for  the  orifices 
of  exhalent  and  absorbent  vessels.  The  cuticle  exfoliates,  in  the  form  of  scales,  from  the  head,  and  also  from  the  body  after 
certain  cutaneous  diseases. 

2d.  The  rete  mucosum,  the  appareil  pigmental  of  Flourens,  (see  Anat.  Gen'l.  de  la  Peau,  &c.,  p.  34,)  of  the  colored  race. 
Some  are  of  opinion  that  in  the  white  race  this  is  entirely  wanting;  others  suppose  it  exists,  but  is  of  a  red  color. 

3d.  The  corpus  papillare.  It  consists  of  a  collection  of  small  papilla;,  formed  by  the  extremities  of  nerves  and  vessels 
passing  the  corium  which  is  beneath.  Flourens  considers  these  papilUc  as  prolongations  of  the  true  skin,  and  not  as  a 
separate  layer. 

4th,  and  lastly,  comes  the  derma,  corium,  cutis-vera,  or  true  skin;  in  which,  principally,  pile  is  set. 

Beneath  all  these  is  the  adipose  tissue. 

"  Mammalia."  We  confine  pile  to  this,  notwithstanding  the  teachings  of  some  physiologists  that  it  is  extended  to  other 
classes  of  animals,  and  even  to  vegetables.  "Quadrupedia  corpus  pilosum." — (Lin.)  "The  bodies  of  all  quadruped  animals 
are  covered  with  hair." — (Goldsmith.)  "Les  inamiferes  sont  les  scul  animaux  dont  le  corps  est  gouvert  de  poil." — (Elem.  de 
Zoo.  232.,)  &c. 

"Follicle,"  the  sac,  in  which  the  button  of  the  hair  is  generally  found,  is  most  commonly,  but  improperly,  called  the 
"root,"  which  tends  to  mislead  by  suggesting  a  too  intimate  relation  to  a  plant.  We  call  it  the  "Follicle." 

The  word  "follicle"  is  generally  applied,  in  anatomy,  to  excretory  organs;  but  there  is  nothing  in  its  derivation  or  termi- 
nology to  prevent  us  from  using  it  in  the  sense  here  notified.  Follicle,  from  the  Latin  "folliculus,"  (which  is  a  diminutive 
of  "follis,"  a  bag,  purse  or  script,)  is  a  small  bag,  purse  or  script,  only,  without  limiting  the  use  to  which  it  is  applied;  and 
in  Botany,  where  it  has  been  introduced,  means,  "a  seed  vessel,  husk,  or  cover.  It  is  so  used  by  the  French,  also,  by  whom 
"  follicle"  is  defined,  in  Botany,  to  be  "1" envelope  membraneuse,  dans  la  quelle  sont  contenue  les  graines  des  plantes."  We 
therefore  use  the  word  follicle  to  designate  the  little  sac  in  which  the  posterior  termination  of  the  shaft,  with  its  button,  is 
contained,  when  the  pile  is  perfect  and  has  come  to  maturity. 

"Insensible."     Possessing  no  feeling,  yet  not  deprived  of  all  the  properties  of  life. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  OX  PILK.  {) 

5th.  In  inclination, — hair  issuing  out  of  the  epidermis,  at  an  acute  angle  thereto, — while 
tvool  issues  out  of  the  epidermis  at  a  right  angle  thereto. 

6th.  In  color, — hair  often  assuming  a  variety  of  colors, — while  wool  is  generally  white, 
brown,  or  black. 

7th.  In  uniformity  of  color  in  a  single  filament;  each  separate  filament  of  wool  being 
mono-chromatic;  while  that  of  the  hair  of  some  of  the  lower  animals  is  often  poly-chro- 
matic. 

8th.  In  dimensions, — hair  being,  generally,  longer,  and  of  a  greater  diameter  than  wool. 

9th.  In  exuberance, — wool  being  produced,  generally,  in  greater  profusion,  upon  a 
given  area  of  skin,  than  hair. 

10th.     In  the  apex, — that  of  hair  being  less  pointed,  in  proportion  to  the  diameter. 

1 1th.  In  the  disposition  of  the  coloring  matter  of  a  perfect  hair,  being  in  a  central  canal, 
which  is  not  found  in  wool.  (See  fig.  2,  a  hair  and  b  wool,  contrasted.) 

OF  FLEECE. — The  covering  of  sheep  is  called  "fleece,"  from  the  Saxon  "flys."  It  is 
either  hair,  or  wool,  or  a  mixture  of  both.* 

PILE  AND  FEATHERS  HAVE  BEEN  CONFOUNDED. — Dr.  Ure  (in  his  Philos.  of  Manufac.) 
says,  "wool  is  a  filamentous  substance,  which  covers  the  skin  of  sheep  and  some  other 
animals,  as  the  beaver,  the  ostrich,  the  lama,  the  goat  of  Thibet  and  Cashmere,"  &c.,  &c. 

Eble  (in  Die  Lehre  von  der  Haaren,)  writes  of  the  hair  of  birds.     He  says,  "onlyym' 

Mrds   possess  stiff  bristles  and  corneous  hair,  which  we  find  more  frequently  with  the 

mammalia;   and  it  seems  undetermined  whether  we  are  to  count  the  fine  down,  which 

covers  the  body  of  a  young  bird  before  the  formation  of  the  real  feathers,  as  hair  or 

feathers." 

In  Goodrich's  Geography,  p.  444,  it  is  said  that  "the  Rhea,  or  American  Ostrich,  has 
black  eye-lashes." 

And  in  Agasie's  and  Gould's  Principles  of  Zoology,  p.  151,  it  is  asserted,  that  the 
"chicken  completely  changes  its  covering  from  down  to  feathers  " 

Eble  also  states,  that  "the  male  turkey  has  a  tuft  of  stiff  hair  on  his  neck." 

To  judge  of  the  value  of  the  above  assertions,  we  must  understand  what  is  a  feather. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  A  FEATHER. — (See  fig.  3.) — A  feather  consists  of,  1st,  a  cylinder,  at  the 
inferior  extremity  of  which  is  a  sheath,  which  connects  it  with  the  skin,  but  it  has  no 
follicle.  The  cylinder  is  horny,  is  always  of  a  circumference  greater  than  that  of  its  stalk ; 
is  transparent,  or  translucent,  and  terminates  in  a  point  more  or  less  abrupt,  which  is 
pierced  at  the  posterior  extremity.  This  orifice  is  called  the  "inferior  navel,"  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  another  situated  on  the  internal  face,  at  the  point  where  the  cylinder 
unites  with  the  stalk,  which  latter  is  called  the  "superior  navel."  Inside  of  the  cylinder 
is  a  series  of  capsules,  fitting  one  in  another, — and  sometimes  united  by  a  central  stalk, — 
forming  a  spire  or  chain.  This  series  is  called  the  "heart"  of  the  feather. 


*  There  in  no  good  reason  for  not  extending  it  to  that  of  the  r/nat. 


JO  TIUCJIOLOr.IA  MAMMALIFM; 

2d.  A  stalk,  situated  anteriorly  to  the  cylinder,  the  shape  of  which  inclines  more  or  less 
to  square,  being  slightly  curved  on  one  side.  It  gradually  diminishes  in  circumference, 
from  the  superior  navel  to  the  anterior  extremity.  The  face  inside  of  the  curve  is  called 
the  internal  face,  and  that  on  the  opposite  side,  the  external  face.  These  two  faces  are 
united  by  a  horny  matter,  somewhat  resembling  that  of  the  cylinder;  but  generally  less 
transparent.  In  the  interior  of  it  is  a  white  opaque,  soft,  elastic  substance,  called  the 
"pith"  or  "sponge"  of  the  feather.  The  surface  of  the  external  face  is  smooth,  and  forms 
the  segment  of  a  circle,  being  sometimes  longitudinally  striated.  The  internal  face  is, 
generally,  for  its  whole  length,  divided  into  two  equal  parts  or  sections,  by  a  longitudinal 
canal.  Occasionally,  instead  of  the  canal,  there  is  a  projection  of  the  same  dimensions. 

3d.  On  each  side  of  the  stalk  is  a  beard  and  a  steno  beard.  The  fibrils  of  the  steno- 
beard  are  generally  crooked,  giving  them  a  tendency  to  entangle  and  adhere. 

4th.  A  feather  possesses  flexibility  and  tenacity,  but  no  ductility  nor  elasticity. 

By  comparing  this  description  of  a  feather  with  the  previous  one  of  a  hair,  we  will 
readily  perceive  the  differences  between  these  two  integuments. 

OF  THE  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  A  HAIR  AND  A  FEATHER. — (Compare  figs.  1  and  3.) — A 
feather  and  a  hair  differ  in  these  particulars : — 

1st.  A  feather,  at  the  inferior  extremity  of  the  cylinder,  has  a  perforation,  but  no  button  ; 
a  hair,  at  the  same  extremity  of  the  shaft,  has  a  button,  but  no  perforation. 

2d.  A  hair  is  set  in  a  follicle  ;  but  a  feather  has  none. 

3d.  A  feather  has,  at  the  point  where  the  cylinder  unites  with  the  stalk,  a  superior  navel; 
a  hair  has  no  such  perforation. 

4th.  The  stalk  of  a  feather  has  two  different  faces,  an  external  and  an  internal  one;  a 
hair  is  the  same  for  its  whole  contour. 

5th.  A  feather  has,  in  its  cylinder,  a  series  or  chain  of  capsules,  which,  in  a  hair,  is 
entirely  wanting, — except  in  one  solitary  instance,  which  will  be  presently  noticed. 

6th.  The  stalk  of  a  feather  is  provided  with  a  pith  or  sponge ;  which  in  a  hair  is  entirely 
wanting. 

7th.  The  stalk  of  a  feather  has,  on  its  interior  face,  a  canal;  which,  in  a  hair,  is  entirely 
wanting. 

8th.  A  perfect  hair  has,  in  its  centre,  a  canal,  in  which  the  coloring  matter,  when  pre- 
sent, flows ;  a  feather  has  none. 

9th.  The  exterior  of  the  shaft  of  a  feather  is  smooth,  and  the  steno-beard  is  generally 
hooked ;  the  cortex  of  the  shaft  of  a  hair  is  squamose. 

10th.  The  stalk  of  a  feather  is  furnished  with  a  beard  and  a  steno-beard;  a  hair  has 
neither. 

llth.  The  stalk  of  a  feather  gradually  diminishes  in  diameter  anteriorally ;  but  a  hair  is, 
generally,  of  the  same  diameter  throughout.  (There  are  exceptions.) 

12th.  A  feather  has  flexibility  and  tenacity,  but  no  ductility  nor  elasticity ;  a  hair  has 
ductility,  flexibility,  elasticity  and  tenacity. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  11 

These  discrepancies  being  once  clearly  pointed  out,  no  one  need  be  at  a  loss  to  decide 
upon  all  the  cases  above  mentioned. 

TJJE  TEGUMENTARY  APPENDAGES  OF  THE  OSTRICH  ARE  FEATHERS.  (See  fig.  4,  and 
compare  it  with  1  and  3.) 

1.  The  inferior  extremity  is  cylindrical,  and  has  no  button. 

2.  The  stalk  has  a  smooth  surface,  no  scales,  but  a  beard  and  a  steno-beard  on  a  part 
of  it.* 

OF  THE  DOWN  OF  YOUNG  BIRDS. — We  examined  the  down  plucked  from  a  chicken, 
immediately  after  it  emerged  from  the  egg,  and  some  taken  on  four  succeeding  days;  and 
discovered  no  change  take  place,  except  an  enlargement  of  the  parts.  They  all  have  a 
minute  cylindrical  termination,  which  is  transparent,  and  an  inferior  navel,  but  no  button ; 
and,  issuing  from  the  shaft,  is  a  beard  and  steno-beard. 

We  have  also  examined  the  eider-down,  and  find  it  to  be  feathers. 

THE  EYE-LASHES  OF  THE  OSTRICH. — (See  fig.  5.) — We  have  examined  the  eye-lashes  of 
both  the  American  and  African  Ostrich,  and  find  them  to  be  feathers.  The  length  of  one 
of  these  is  £-§•  of  an  inch,  the  length  of  the  cylinder  being  -£-$,  and  the  width  -9%.  From 
the  termination  of  the  cylinder  to  that  of  the  most  distant  beard,  f  f .  On  the  lower  half 
of  this  shaft  are  five  long  beards,  then  three  short  ones ;  which  are  succeeded  by  two  long 
and  two  short  ones. 

OF  THE  TURKEY'S  BEARD,  AND  OF  WHALEBONE. — There  is  a  tuft  of  dark-colored,  angu- 
lar fibres,  pending  from  the  neck  of  the  turkey,  (Meleagris  gallopavo,)  which  is  generally 
denominated  his  "beard."  We  submitted  one  inch  of  a  fibre  of  it,  of  the  width  of  gig-th 
of  an  inch,  to  the  trichometer;  with  470  grains,  it  stretched  ^ths  of  an  inch;  but  as  it 
was  originally  xindulated,  this  elongation  may  have  been  caused  by  the  act  of  straightening. 
From  that  weight  to  2100  grains,  gradually  and  increasingly  applied,  it  showed  no  duc- 
tility whatever;  and  it  finally  parted  with  the  last  mentioned  weight.  We  therefore 
determined,  inasmuch  as  ductility  is  one  of  the  inseparable  properties  of  pile,  that  this 
is  not  hair. 

There  is  also  a  fibrous,  horny  substance,  with  which  the  mouth  of  the  whale,  (Balaena 

*  But  it  differs  from  ordinary  feathers  in  these  particulars:  1st.  It  is  smaller  in  proportion.  2d.  The  cylindrical  form  is 
less  perfect.  3d.  It  terminates  in  a  single  flat  projection.  4th.  Both  the  faces  of  the  stalk  are  convex — no  canal  in  either. 
5th.  The  stalk  is  partly  naked  and  partly  invested  with  a  beard  and  a  steno-beard. 

A  transverse  section  of  one,  from  the  S.  casuarius,  exhibits,  under  the  microscope,  1st,  a  black  exterior;  2d,  a  •white 
intermediate,  and  3d,  a  central  porous  matter.  One  inch  of  the  same, 

with  1,770  grains,  stretched  ^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     4,766      "  "        ^        "  "  " 

"    5,566      "  "         Jy          "  "  " 

"    5,866       "  "        T4ff          "  minus  ^ 

"  10,758       "          broke. 


12  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

mystecetus,)  is  furnished,  which  is  sometimes  called  his  "beard"  and,  at  others,  his 
"whiskers;"  it  is  ihefanon  of  the  French  Naturalists,  and  the  whalebone  of  commerce  and 
manufactures.  We  selected  one  of  the  natural  fibres  of  this  substance,  of  the  diameter  of 
•fa  of  an  inch,  and  upon  subjecting  one  ineh  of  it  to  the  trichometer,  it  stretched  about  T|u 
of  an  inch;  which  we  supposed  would  be  required  to  straighten  it.  We  added  to  this 
weight  ten  grains  at  a  time,  till  it  arrived  at  373  grains,  when,  without  obtaining  any 
further  elongation,  it  broke.  We  therefore  pronounce  this  article  not  to  be  hair. 

OF  THE  PILE  OF  THE  ORNITHORYNCHUS. — The  animal  whose  pile  bears  the  strongest 
resemblance  to  a  feather,  is  the  Platypus  Ornithorynchus.  (See  fig  6.) 

This  animal  belongs  to  the  Order  Monotremata.  The  specimen  we  examined  was  pre- 
sented by  H.  Wheatland,  Esq.,  of  Salem,  Massachusetts.*  General  appearance,  upon  first 
view,  coarse,  dark  brown,  and  very  lustrous ;  but  when  the  external  filaments  are  raised 
or  separated,  that  of  an  exuberant,  plumbeous  colored  wool.  The  skin  (in  ours,  which  is 
a  dried  specimen,)  is  coarse,  thick  and  rough,  on  the  inner  side.  The  pile  is  set  in  the  der- 
mis  in  tufts.  The  integument  is  of  two  kinds,  one  of  a  finer  quality,  closely  impacted, 
and  covering  the  epidermis  like  the  wool  of  the  fur-bearing  animals;  the  other,  which  is 
longer,  having  at  its  lower  extremity  a  similar  fine  fibre  which,  near  the  centre,  becomes 
broad  and  flat,  and  lies  loosely  over,  hiding  the  fine  woolly  portion.  It  resembles  the  ante- 
rior termination  of  the  ostrich  feather.  The  length  of  the  long  hair  is  about  ^  of  an  inch, 
the  inferior  half  of  this  integument  has  a  diameter  of  ^^  of  an  inch;  is  composed  1st, 
of  a  white  cortex,  marked  with  dark-colored,  transverse,  varying  lines;  2d,  a  transparent 
white  substance,  enclosing  a  multitude  of  black  rings,  of  the  diameter  of  T -fa-$  of  an  inch, 
with  interstices  of  the  same  dimensions.  These  black  rings  being  too  minute  to  be 
discerned,  separately,  with  the  naked  eye,  blend  color  with  the  white  interstices,  and  cause 
this  portion  of  the  pile  to  appear  to  be  plumbeous. 

Between  this  part  and  the  one  next  to  be  described,  is  a  neck  of  the  length  of  TJ^,  and 
diameter  of  ^-fa-jf  of  an  inch;  it  is  white,  and  encloses  a  dark  coloring  matter  in  elongated 
spots. 

From  this  neck  the  shaft  gradually  widens  to  the  -$%•$  of  an  inch,  and  then  gradually 
tapers  again  to  the  apex,  where  it  is  only  -j-aW  of  an  inch.  This  portion  is  dark  brown 
colored,  and  very  lustrous;  it  is  composed  of  a  white  cortex,  with  a  disseminated  coloring 
matter.  In  the  centre  is  a  darker  colored  spire,  composed  of  a  series  of  capsules,  resem- 
bling those  found  in  the  interior  of  the  cylinder  of  a  feather.  Their  diameter  is  yaVo  °f 
an  inch.  They  do  not  continue  the  whole  length  of  this  broad  portion  of  the  shaft ;  but 
commence  at  the  distance  of  -gfa  of  an  inch  from  the  neck,  and  terminate  at  about  T^T5- 
from  the  apex.  This  last  portion  is  colorless. 

Shape  of  the  fine  portion,  cylindrical ;  that  of  the  flat  and  coarse  part,  lenticular,  •$%-%  by 
y^-g  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  There  is  no  button,  but  there  is  a  shaft  to  this  pile. 

The  second  kind  of  pile  upon  this  animal  resembles  the  posterior  portion  of  the  first  one, 

*  See  note  marked  a,  at  the  end  of  Chapter  I.,  Part  I. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  13 


above  described  ;  it  is  j\  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  has  a  diameter  of  ^^  °f  an 
contains  the  same  kind  of  black  rings  with  white  interstices,  but  this  pile  is  destitute  of 
the  flat  portion  found  in  the  kind  first  described. 

Remarks.  —  1st.  The  plumbeous  color,  formed  by  blending  the  color  of  the  black  rings 
with  that  of  the  white  interstices,  is  not  peculiar  to  this  pile,  but  may  be  seen  in  the  wool 
of  many  of  the  fur-bearing  animals,  and  in  the  beard  of  some  feathers. 

2d.  The  same  filament  having  its  inferior  extremity  fine  and  resembling  wool,  and  its 
superior  one  broader  and  somewhat  resembling  the  feather  found  upon  the  head  of  the 
Toucan  and  on  the  Ostrich,  although  uncommon,  is  not  peculiar  to  this  pile;  it  may  be 
witnessed  in  that  of  the  Ferret,  the  Mink,  and  some  others  of  the  fur-bearing  animals,  and 
also  in  the  pile  of  the  Sloth. 

3d.  It  is  very  unusual  to  find  in  the  same  filament,  the  coloring  matter  so  variously 
distributed  and  disposed  as  it  is  in  this  pile. 

4th.  The  peculiarities  of  this  pile  are  the  spires  or  capsules,  resembling  those  found  in 
the  cylinder  of  a  feather,  and  the  absence  of  a  button. 

a  "  The  mouth  of  this  quadruped,  (says  J.  Rymer  Jones,)  resembles  that  of  a  Duck,  whence  the  common  name  '  Duck-Sill.' 
It  has,  moreover,  a  distinct  furcular  bone  in  addition  to  what  would  seem  to  be  the  ordinary  clavicle  ;  but,  in  reality,  these 
are  the  coracoid  bones,  still  largely  developed.  Moreover,  the  anterior  or  sternal  ribs  are  ossified,  and  a  spur  is  attached  to 
the  hind  foot  of  the  male  ;  not  remotely  resembling  that  of  a  cock.  This  last  appendage  is  perforated  by  a  duct,  and  has  a 
gland  connected  with  it,  situated  on  the  inner  side  of  the  thigh,  by  which  a  poisoned  secretion  was  formerly  supposed  to  be 
elaborated." 

From  Professor  Owen  we  learn  that  the  ovaria  of  the  female  ornithorynchus  exhibit  all  the  essential  characters  of  the 
mammiferous  type  of  structure  ;  that  the  eggs  have  no  connection  with  the  walls  of  the  uterus,  and  that  each  ovum  has  an 
albumen  and  a  yolk.  For  these,  and  other  reasons,  he  infers  that  it  is  a  viviparous  animal.  But,  in  some  other  respects,  the 
ovum  differs  from  an  ordinary  egg  ;  and  there  is  no  analogy  to  the  bird  in  the  disposition  of  its  pubic  bones,  which  seems  to 
confirm  the  view  that  the  animal  is  produced  alive.  Some,  however,  to  get  rid  of  this  difficulty,  conjecture  that  it  is 
ova-viviparous.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  a  placenta  exists  ;  neither  is  there  any  marsupial  pouch,  in  which  to  carry 
the  young,  if  prematurely  born.  In  a  very  young  specimen,  examined  by  Professor  Owen,  the  stomach  was  filled  with  milk, 
but  there  was  no  trace  of  an  umbilical  cicatrix.  The  animal  is  dull  and  inactive  in  confinement  and  can  live  a  month  without 
food,  in  which  respect  it  resembles  reptiles. 


14  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

CHAPTER   I. 

PART     II. 

OF  THE  MANTLE  AND  HAIR-LIKE  PROCESSES  OF  THE  ARMADILLO. — This  animal,  instead 
of  being  covered  with  pile,  has  his  body  protected  by  a  mantle,  out  of  the  divisions  of  which 
issue  hair-like  processes. 

This  mantle  we  have  heretofore  particularly  described,*  but  it  will  be  necessary  to 
recur  briefly  to  the  buckler.  This  is  composed  of  unequal  sided  hexagons  and  parallelo- 
grams, the  internal  structure  of  the  latter  of  which  is  represented  in  figure  7,  where  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  main  arterial  trunk,  A.,  lies  horizontally,  communicating  with  the  interior 
of  the  armor  by  a  foramen  situated  near  the  end  of  the  parallelogram  towards  the 
hexagons.  This  main  trunk  divides,  successively,  into  five  horizontal  limbs ;  four  of 
which,  viz  :  1,  2,  3  and  4,  after  anastomosing,  terminate  near  the  other  end  of  the  parallelo- 
gram in  as  many  fusiform  follicles,  B.,  from  each  of  which  emerges,  horizontally,  a  hair,  or 
hair-like  process,  C.  The  fifth  limb,  No.  5,  inclines  abruptly  to  one  side  of  the 
parallelogram,  and  after  a  much  shorter  course,  comparatively,  terminates  in  an  orbicular 
capsule,  D.,  from  which,  through  a  foramen  communicating  with  the  anterior  surface, 
iss\ies,  vertically,  another  hair,  or  hair-like  process,  invested  with  a  sheath,  e.  Besides 
these  five  limbs,  there  are  six  branches.  Four  of  these,  i.  e.  two  on  each  side,  issue  out  of 
the  main  trunk,  below  its  first  limb-fork.  These  subdivide  into  numerous  twigs,  which 
do  not  anastomose.  From  limb  No.  4,  about  half  way  beyond  its  fork,  is  another  and  the 
largest  branch  of  all,  7.  This  anastomoses  with  the  limb,  and  divides  into  numerous 
twigs,  but  does  not  terminate  in  either  a  follicle  or  capsule.  The  limb  on  the  opposite  side, 
No.  1,  above  its  fork,  has  four  branches,  8,  which  do  not  anastomose  or  terminate  in  either 
follicle  or  capsule,  but  divides  into  numerous  twigs.  Between  limbs  Nos.  1,  2,  3  and  4, 
are  three  interfolical  vessels,  9.  These  anastomose  with  the  follicles,  and  open  out  at  the 
end  of  the  parallelogram. 

Some  of  the  anastomosing  vessels  empty  into  culs  de  sac,  o,  approaching,  in  dimensions, 
almost  to  that  of  the  main  trunk.  These  are  generally  situated  at,  or  near,  the  root  of  a 
follicle,  and  may  be  reservoirs. 

Each  of  the  above  mentioned  vessels  may  be,  and  probably  is,  accompanied  by  an  artery 
and  vein ;  for  the  animal  possesses  the  power  of  repairing  and  re-producing  injured  or  lost 
plates ;  we  have  examined  a  specimen  of  an  Apara  that  bears  the  marks  of  that  operation 
having  been  performed. 

Description  of  the  hairs  and  hair-like  processes. — Greatest  length  2  inches  and  TV 
Shapes,  cylindrical  and  oval.  Diameters,  some  T|T,  others  T{^  by  Jj,  ^-^  by  -Jj,  and 
others  again  T^  by  ^.  Color,  corneus.  Lustre,  feeble.  Direction  at  an  acute  angle. 
Inclination,  straight. 

*  In  a  pamphlet  published  in  1848. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  15 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  1,750  grains,  one  inch  stretched  Jj  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
2,000       "  -jjV 

2,500       "       broke. 

Button,  none  ;  the  posterior  terminating  in  a  navel  resembling  that  of  a  feather,  and  of 
whiskers.  Shaft,  bright  yellow  and  lustrous.  Cortex  so  thin  that  its  presence  cannot 
always  be  detected.  Interior  a  mass  of  white  fibres  with  a  central  opening.  Apices  often 
ruptured.  Very  difficult  to  crush  ;  when  it  does,  separating  the  fibres. 

OF  SCALES. — These  tegumontary  appendages  belong  (among  reptiles)  to  the  Saurians 
and  Ophidians,  and  to  fishes;  but  they  are  sometimes  found  upon  the  mammalia. 

OF  THE  PANGOLIN  OR  MANIS  SCALES,  AND  HAIR-LIKE  PROCESSES  THAT  GROW  BETWEEN 
AND  BENEATH  THEM. — This  animal  belongs  to  the  Order  Edentata.  For  a  general  descrip- 
tion of  it  see  Elemens  de  Zoologie,  p.  384.  It  is  found  in  Asia  and  Africa,  and  a 
specimen  may  be  seen  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 

The  number  of  scales  are  as  follows:  Upon  the  head,  64;  neck,  14;  body,  122;  tail, 
160;  legs,  136=496. 

There  are  a  few  hairs,  or  hair-like  processes,  issuing  from  between  these  scales,  but  none 
from  the  scales  themselves. 

Particular  Description  of  the  Scales. — Form,  nearly  flat;  slightly  convex  on  the  superior 
and  slightly  concave  on  the  inferior  surface.  Outline,  sub-quadrilateral;  the  inferior 
extremity, — that  connected  with  the  skin, — ovoidal  at  the  angles ;  the  superior  extremity 
inclining  to  semi-circular.  Color  brown,  opaque,  dull.  To  the  touch  smooth,  when  the 
fingers  are  passed  longitudinally;  but,  when  passed  in  an  opposite  direction,  slightly 
rugose.  No  ductility  nor  elasticity. 

Structure. — Composed  of  two  plates,  an  inferior  and  a  superior  one. 

The  inferior  one,  (which  is  the  smallest,)  at  its  inferior  extremity,  is  bounded  by  two 
straight  lines,  which  respectively  commence  at  the  inferior  angle  of  the  sides  of  the  scale, 
and  meet  at  right  angles.  At  its  superior  outline  it  is  semi-circular.  This  superior  extre- 
mity of  this  inferior  plate  is  soldered  to  the  superior  one,  with  an  opening  in  the  form  of  a 
pouch. 

The  superior  plate,  (which  is  the  largest,)  is  divided  by  a  slightly  curved  midrib,  into 
two  nearly  equal  triangular  portions.  The  posterior  portions  of  each  of  these  triangles, 
from  their  inferior  outlines  to  points  opposite  to  the  pouch,  are  again  divided  by  ribs  run- 
ning nearly  parallel  with  the  midrib.  The  lateral  edges  of  this  plate,  where  they  corres- 
pond with  those  of  the  inferior  one,  are  turned  over  and  felled.  Nearly  the  whole  interior 
between  these  plates,  is  filled  with  muscle ;  and  with  it  the  midrib  and  ribs,  which  also 
are  muscular,  communicate;  thus  enabling  the  animal  to  raise  its  scales,  and,  perhaps, 
allowing  it  to  communicate  to  them  a  slight  lateral  motion. 
4 


16  TKICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM  : 

Composition. — No  earthy  matter  can  be  detected  in  these  scales,  either  by  incineration 
or  treatment  with  diluted  h\dro-ch!oric  acid. 

The  hair-like  processes,  issuing  from  between  and  under  the  scales.  Fig.  8  represents 
one  of  them.  The  shaft  is  oval,  diameter  ^T  by  ^¥,  color  corneous,  with  irregularly  shaped 
lines  and  dots.  On  one  side  a  wart-like  protuberance.  No  button.  Disks  exhibit  a 
white  corneous  mass,  with  a  small  central  crack. 

OF  THE  SCALES  OF  PREHENSILE  TAILS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  LOWER  ANIMALS,  AND  THE  HAIRS 
ACCOMPANYING  THE  SAME. — Scales  are  found  upon  the  tails  of  some  of  the  lower  animals. 
They  may,  possibly,  be  considered  as  hairs  only  partially  developed ;  the  matter  which 
forms  the  ordinary  scales  of  the  cortex  being  in  abundance,  while  that  which  forms  the 
fibres  is  deficient.  Their  study  may  therefore  prove  interesting,  both  in  themselves  and 
on  account  of  their  connection  with  hair-scales  and  wool-scales,  which  are  the  subject  of  a 
separate  part  of  this  work. 

The  Scales  upon  the  Tail  of  the  Possum. — (See  fig.  9.) — These  scales  are,  in  general, 
oval  and  sub-oval,  depressed  upon  the  side  of  the  attachment  to  the  epidermis ;  diameter 
about  Tf  7  by  T|^  of  an  inch.  They  are  the  same  color  as  the  epidermis,  which  they  cover. 
Hairs  never  issue  out  of  these  scales,  but  always  from  between  them.  They  also  partake 
of  the  color  of  the  skin,  whether  that  be  black  or  white.  They  are  in  length  about  f  of  an 
inch ;  diameter  ^|T  by  ^^  of  an  inch,  gradually  narrowing  to  ^^  at  the  apex.  Cortex 
corneous,  diameter  j^-g-  of  an  inch;  the  remainder  of  the  interior  oval  and  white.  When 
the  scales  are  removed,  the  inferior  termination  of  the  hairs,  which  they  overlay,  may  be 
seen  in  the  dermis. 

The  Muskrat  (Fiber  Zibethicus  of  Lin.)  has  a  tail  f  the  length  of  its  body;  com- 
pressed, convex  on  the  sides,  thickest  in  the  middle,  tapering  to  a  point;  covered  rvith 
small  scales  and  thinly  scattered  hairs. 

The  Field-Mouse  (Agricola  Pennsylvania  of  Ord)  has  a  tail  which  is  cylindrical,  scaly, 
and  slightly  covered  with  hair. 

OF  SCALES  UPON  THE  TAILS  OF  MONKEYS. — Of  the  Monkeys  of  the  Old  World  there 
are  said  to  be  54  species,  and  of  these  only  one  is  found  in  Europe,  36  in  Asia,  16  in 
Africa,  and  2  whose  country  is  unknown. 

One  of  the  distinguishing  features  of  the  Monkey  of  South  America,  is  the  having  of  a 
tail ;  but  we  observe  that  a  species  of  Lemur  is  found  in  Madagascar,  possessing  a  very 
long  tail,  peculiarly  adapted  to  climbing. 

Of  the  South  American  Monkeys,  that  have  tails,  all  are  not  prehensile.  Those  with 
these  strong,  muscular,  scaly  tails,  are  called  "  Sapajous,"  and  those  with  feeble,  useless 
tails,  are  called  "  Sagoins."  Of  both  these  there  are  several  varieties.  Of  the  first,  the 
Coati  (Atelesater)  has  no  thumb,  and  consequently  but  four  fingers  on  the  two  fore-paws, 
but  the  defect  is  supplied  by  the  tail,  with  which  this  animal  slings  himself  from  tree 
to  tree. 

Of  the  Sagoins,  or  Monkeys  which  do  not  hold  by  the  tails,  is  the  Samari,  or  Aurora. 
(Sanguinas  sciureas.) 


OH,  A  TREATISE  OX  PILE.  17 

The  Saki,  or  Cagui,  (Pittecia,)  is  remarkable  for  the  length  of  the  hair  on  its  tail,  and 
is  often  called,  for  that  reason,  theyb.r-tailed  monkey. 

The  Wistiti,  or  striated  Monkey,  (Jacchus,)  has  an  annulated  tail. 

The  Marikina  (Midas  rosalia)  has  a  bunch  of  hair  at  the  end  of  the  tail,  like  the  lion. 

The  Mico  (Jacchus  argeniatus)  has  a  tail  with  deep  brown  hair,  while  that  on  the 
body  is  silver  color. 

Remarks  of  Tail  Scales. — The  scales  upon  the  tails  that  are  prehensile  are  intended,  no 
doubt,  to  prevent  them  from  slipping  when  an  object  is  grasped.  Some  reptiles  obtain  a 
progressive  movement  by  means  of  scales. 

OF  FIBROUS  PROTUBERANCES  RESEMBLING  HORN,  BUT  wnicn  ARE  NOT  TRUE  HORN. — 
These  processes  are  found  upon  the  nose  of  the  Rhinoceros.  This  animal  belongs  to  the  order 
"  pachydermata,"  the  family  "ordinary  pachydermas,"  and  forms  the  genus  "Rhinoceros," 
(so  named  from  the  Creek  word  "rin,"  the  nose;  in  the  genitive  case  "rinos,"  and  "  keras" 
a  horn.)  There  are  two  species,  viz:  1,  R.  cornu  unico  conico,  and  2,  R.  cornibus  duobus 
cuneiformibus.  (Lin:  0.  5  Jumenta,  No.  25,  Rhinoceros.) 

This  animal  is  large,  heavy,  strong-limbed  and  thick-skinned,  nearly  hairless,  (a  few 
being  found  in  the  ear;)  the  bones  of  the  nose,  which  are  very  stout,  are  united,  forming 
a  vault,  supporting  upon  its  median  line  this  solid,  horn-like  projection,  which  is  uncon- 
nected with  the  bone,  but  is  buried  in  and  adheres  to  the  skin.  It  is  truly  said  to  be  com- 
posed of  agglutinated  fibres,  which  are  thought  to  be  hairs. 

Specimen  of  the  animal  in  the  Zoological  Institute,  Philadelphia,  and  of  the  horn  in 
the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  of  this  city. 

Fig.  10  a  is  a  representation  of  a  transverse  section  of  this  horn,  where  the  ends  of  two 
hairs,  and  a  part  of  the  third,  may  be  seen.  Fig.  10  b  is  a  longitudinal  section,  showing 
the  hairs. 

Comparison  with  Real  Horns. — This  (so  called)  horn  of  the  Rhinoceros,  will  be  best 
understood  by  a  comparison  of  its  formation  and  growth  with  real  horns,  of  which  there 
are  the  following  varieties  :  1.  Those  which  are  composed  entirely  of  bony  matter,  and 
2,  those  which  are  composed  of  an  inferior  osseous  portion,  covered  -with  an  exterior 
corneous  matter.  The  first  species  is  sub-divided  into  those  that  are  perishable  and 
renewable,  and  those  that  are  persistant. 

The  antlers  of  the  stag  are  solid  and  osseous,  are  rapidly  produced  by  powerful  blood- 
vessels, but.  after  a  time,  they  perish  and  fall,  and  are  renewed  in  like  manner.  The  short, 
solid,  bony  processes  of  the  cameleopard,  are  formed  in  the  same  manner,  but  they  are 
persistant.  And  the  hollow  horns  of  the  ox,  sheep,  &c.,  are  composed  of  two  distinct 
substances,  viz  :  an  interior  one  of  phosphate  of  lime,  and  an  exterior  one  of  horn.  These 
two  substances  appear  to  be  simultaneously  produced  from  the  two  sides,  respectively,  of  a 
vascular  membrane;  and  they  are  nourished  in  different  modes;  that  of  the  bony  interior 
from  vessels  belonging  to  the  general  system,  but  the  exterior  one  is  destitute  of  vessels  ; 
and  is,  consequently,  when  once  formed,  removed  from  the  influence  of  vital  powers. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  (so  called)  horns  of  the  Rhinoceros,  (both  of  the  one  and  the  two- 


18  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

horned  species,)  grow  from  the  tegument  covering  the  nose,  to  which  they  adhere  without 
having  any  connexion  with  the  subjacent  bones.  They  have  a  sub-pyramidal  shape,  and 
are  composed  of  parallel  hairs,  agglutinated  together  into  a  solid  mass  by  a  material  which 
acts  as  a  cement.  This  fibrous  structure  is  most  distinctly  seen  at  the  base  of  the  horn, 
where  the  ends  of  the  fibres  project  from  the  surface  like  those  of  a  brush.  When  these 
horns  are  divided  transversely,  as  in  fig.  10  a,  and  examined  with  the  microscope,  a  great 
number  of  orifices  are  seen,  marking  the  empty  spaces  that  intervene  between  the  hairs ; 
and  if  the  section  be  made  in  a  longitudinal  direction,  as  in  fig.  10  b,  the  same  spaces  give 
rise  to  the  appearance  of  parallel  grooves.  These  (so  called)  horns  are  not  deciduous,  like 
those  of  the  stag  ;  but  continue  to  adhere  to  the  skin,  and  to  grow  from  the  root,  in  propor- 
tion as  they  are  worn  at  the  extremity.  (See  Roget  An.  and  Veg.  Phys.  356.) 

THE  HORN  OF  THE  RHINOCEROS,  IN  THE  ACADEMY  OF  NATURAL  SCIENCES  OF  PHILADEL- 
PHIA.— Examination  and  description  of  the  horn  of  a  two-horned  Rhinoceros  in  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia.— Length,  from  the  base  to  the  point,  15  inches  and 
TV  Of  this  1  inch  and  T\  appears  to  have  been  buried  in  the  skin.  Circumference  at  the 
base,  14  inches  -fa.  Diameters,  4  T\  by  4  ^ .  The  inferior  termination  calyx  shaped ; 
depth  of  calyx,  2  inches.  Circumference,  at  the  former  junction  with  the  epidermis,  12 
inches ;  apex  oval ;  diameter,  T^  by  ^  of  an  inch.  The  surface  in  the  interior  of  the 
calyx  rugous  and  deeply  fissured.  The  exterior  striated  longitudinally.  The  main  body 
corneous  and  solid,  except  some  slight  longitudinal  fissures. 

Examination  of  the  Hair  of  the  Ear  of  the  Rhinoceros. — Length,  T%  of  an  inch  ;  shape, 
cylindrical ;  diameter,  2-|T,  gradually  tapering  to  j^Yo  of  an  inch.  Color;  brown.  Button 
resembles  a  mere  swelling  of  the  posterior  portion  of  the  shaft,  slightly  curved  and  pointed. 
When  crushed,  fibres  are  exhibited  of  the  diameter  of  ^ ^ „•  of  an  inch.  Shaft  undulating ; 
apex  rounded,  sometimes  furcated. 

OF  SPINES. — The  word  is  from  "  Spina,"  a  thorn  or  prickle. 

A  few  animals  only  have  spines ;  such  as  the  porcupine,  the  hedgehog  and  the  pecary. 

THE  SPINES  OF  THE  PORCUPINE. — The  Porcupine  (Hystrix  Dorsata,  see  Aud.  and 
Back.  Quadru.,  1  vol.,  277.) 

Pile,  at  the  roots  yellowish-white,  tipped  with  black.  Head,  cheeks  and  sides  of  the 
neck,  grayish ;  legs,  of  dark  brown.  A  whitish  band  two  inches  broad  from  the  top  of  the 
shoulder  on  each  side,  towards  the  lower  part  of  the  neck.  The  long  hairs  on  the  dorsal 
line  are  so  broadly  tipped  with  black,  that  the  animal,  on  these  parts,  appears  of  a  blackish 
color ;  along  the  sides,  however,  the  alternate  annulations  are  so  conspicuous  that  it  has  a 
deep  gray  or  grizzled  appearance.  On  the  chest,  outer  surface  of  the  shoulders  and 
thighs,  it  is  of  a  darker  color  than  on  the  sides.  Immediately  behind  the  lightish  collar  on 
the  shoulders,  the  hairs  are  dark,  rendering  the  collar  or  band  more  conspicuous. 

The  young  have  a  uniform  shade  of  red.     A  spine  now  before  us  measures  in  length 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 


19 


S  inches  ;  diameter,  \  of  an  inch.     Thickest  in  the  centre  and  tapering  to  both  extremities  ; 
apex  pointed. 

Fig.  11,  represents  a  transverse  section  of  one  of  these  spines. 

OF  THE  SPINE  OF  THE  PECARY.  —  Gen.  Dycotyles  of  Cuv.,  from  "dis,"  double,  and 
"  Kotule,"  a  cavity,  or  navel.  There  are  two  species,  D.  torquatus  of  F.  Cuv.,  and  D. 
labiatis,  (white  lipped,  see  And.  and  Back.  Quad.  1  v.,  233.)  It  somewhat  resembles  a 
hog,  but  has  no  tail,  and  the  canine  teeth  do  not  extend  beyond  the  margin  of  the  lips. 
Found  in  South  America. 

The  spine  we  are  about  to  describe  came  from  a  full  grown  male,  exhibited  in  Phila- 
delphia, at  the  Zoological  Institute  in  the  winter  of  1847-8. 

Length  of  the  button,  -jf^  of  an  inch  ;  of  the  neck,  T^,  and  of  the  shaft,  4  inches  and 
•J^=4  inches  and  -^-fa  .  Diameter  of  the  button  T-J7,  of  the  neck  -^,  of  the  shaft  Tf7  by 
i^f.  Shape,  oval  ;  colors,  horny  white,  brown  and  black,  in  clouds  and  patches.  Weight, 
i  of  a  grain.  Surface,  smooth.  Direction,  at  an  acute  angle.  Inclination,  straight,  except 
slightly  undulated.  See  fig.  12,  where  No.  1  represents  the  button,  neck  and  a  small 
portion  of  the  shaft.  No.  2,  a  transverse  section  of  the  button.  Nos.  3  and  4,  transverse 
sections  of  the  shaft.  No.  5,  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  cortex.  No.  6,  the 
termination  of  the  shaft,  and  No.  7,  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  stellated  figure 
represented  in  No.  4. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity.  — 

There  was  no  extension  under  6,298  grains. 

With  6,298  grains  the  extension  was  T|7  of  an  inch,  the  shrinking  upon  removal  of  the 

weight  complete. 


" 


"  7,173 

"  7,653 

"  8,133  " 

"  8,613  " 

"  9,093  " 

"  9,798  " 

"  10,226  " 

"  10,673  " 


« 
<( 
tt 

a 
it 
tt 


tt 
tt 
n 


it 
it 
tt 


-fa 


Minus 


of  an  inch. 


or  \\  Ibs.  " 


» 
" 


"  H,633  " 

"  12,H3  " 

"  14,173  "or  2  Ibs. 

"  14,653  " 


" 


or  i  of  the  whole. 


the  spine  parted. 


OF  WHISKERS.  —  Roget  (Animal  and  Vegetable  Physig.  p.  25,)  says  that  the  whiskers  of 
the  feline,  and  of  some  other  animals,  are  supplied  with  vessels  and  nerves,  andar  e  thus 
converted  into  organs  of  touch*. 


*  In  Illust.  of  Nat  Hist.  355,  whiskers  are  said  to  increase  the  sense  of  smell.  (!) 


20  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALTCM: 

Dr.  Gross  (in  Elem.  Path,  and  Anat.,  p.  327,)  assures  us  that  on  the  African  Lion  he 
has  traced  filaments  of  the  fifth  pair  of  nerves  to  the  bulbs  (follicles)  of  whiskers. 
Rtidolphi  had  previously  announced  the  same  discovery  in  regard  to  the  whiskers  of  the 
Seal;  and,  at  a  still  earlier  period,  Gaultier  had  asserted  that  these  tegumentary  append- 
ages were  supplied  with  vessels  and  nerves.  Besides  which,  Malpighi  found  blood  in 
the  long  hairs  drawn  from  the  lip  of  the  horse,  and  Gurlt  discovered  the  same  fluid 
between  the  follicle  and  sheath  of  a  moustache,  (but  of  what  animal,  or  under  what 
circumstances,  he  has  not  informed  us.) 

And  lastly,  Eble  considers  the  whiskers  as  the  most  perfect  hair. 

Mr.  Broughton  made  some  experiments  with  a  kitten,  who,  while  blind-folded,  could 
thread  her  way  out  of  a  labyrinth  by  means  of  her  whiskers,  but,  when  deprived  of  those 
tegumentary  appendages,  was  unable  to  do  so. 

OF  THE  WHISKERS  OF  THE  RABBIT. — Examination  and  Description  of  the  Whiskers  of 
the  Rabbit. — Specimen,  common  Rabbit,  found  wild  near  Philadelphia. 

Length,  from  1^  to  2  inches;  diameter,  J^  of  an  inch.  Shape,  shaft  cylindrical,  gradually 
tapering  to  a  very  fine  point;  direction,  undulated.  The  shaft,  (with  its  sheath,)  descend- 
ing to  the  posterior  extremity  of  the  interior  of  the  follicle,  where  it  either  ends  abruptly, 
or  swells  slightly,  and  again  contracts,  with  a  fibrous  appearance.  Fibres  intermediate; 
a  central  canal;  no  button.  The  fibres,  upon  being  ruptured,  evince  great  elasticity, 
contracting  and  spreading  outward.  Transverse  sections  or  disks,  taken  from  the  portion 
of  the  shaft  covered  with  the  sheath,  show  a  central  canal,  in  which  are  specks  of  a  blood- 
red  color;  immediately  anterior  to  the  sheath  is  a  canal,  containing  a  substance  which  is 
either  white  or  slightly  colored  red;  anterior,  still,  to  this  point,  is  a  void  canal,  and  near 
the  apex  are  white  rings.  The  white  matter  is  cubic  or  cuneiform. 

Sheath,  length,  JQ  of  an  inch;  when  dry,  closely  adhering  to  the  shaft,  but  separating 
from  it  easily  after  a  slight  maceration.  Color,  white,  or  slightly  stained  red. 

Follicle,  length,  -|$  of  an  inch;  diameter,  g%th;  color,  red;  shape,  turbinate. 

Vessels  are  seen  projecting  from  the  exterior  of  the  posterior  extremity  of  the  follicle, 
immediately  beneath  the  perforation  of  the  shaft. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — One  inch  of  a  whisker,  with  2270  grains,  was 
deprived  of  its  undulation  only.  With  7770  grains,  it  stretched  ^26ths  of  an  inch,  and 
broke.  Fracture — the  cortex  was  ruptured,  and  fibres  projected  from  one  portion.  Three 
transverse  dark  marks,  and  one  white,  longitudinal  furrow  on  the  cortex.  A  portion  of 
the  follicle  was  bleached,  when  the  vessels  pending  from  its  lower  extremity  were  plainly 
seen. 

OF  THE  WHISKERS  OF  THE  IRISH  HARE. — Examination  and  Description  of  the  Whiskers 
of  the  Irish  Hare. — (Lepus  Hibernicus.) — June  16,  1849. — Specimen  in  the  Academy  of 
Nat.  Sci.  of  Phila. 

Length,  3  inches  and  TVhs;  greatest  diameter,  yiu  of  an  inch;  gradual  tapering  to  a 
point. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  21 

Shaft,  color  underneath  the  sheath,  white;  from  the  sheath  for  i80ths  of  an  inch,  black; 
for  T%ths,  white;  slightly  colored  for  ^th;  then  white  for  T^ths;  and  dark  brown  1  inch 
to  the  apex;  the  inferior  termination  quill  shaped,  surface  squamose,  perforated;  no  button. 

Sheath — length,  T|_ ;  diameter,  ^3  of  an  inch ;  color,  dark  brown ;  easily  removed  from 
the  shaft  with  the  fingers,  after  a  slight  maceration. 

Disks — one  cut  from  beneath  the  sheath  has,  1st,  a  fibrous  cortex;  2d,  a  large,  black, 
solid  substance;  3d,  a  small  white  circle,  or  ring;  4th,  a  perforation  in  the  centre.  Another 
disk,  cut  from  the  black  portion  above  described,  has,  1st,  a  white  fibrous  cortex;  2d,  a 
solid  black  substance;  and  3d,  a  centre  of  solid  white.  In  cutting  this  disk,  a  white  fibre 
of  the  cortex  is  left  pendant.  A  disk  from  the  white  shows,  1st,  a  white  substance;  2d,  a 
centre  whitish.  A  fourth  cut  from  the  portion  which  was  slightly  colored,  shows,  1st,  a 
white  substance;  2d,  a  dark  cloudy  substance;  3d,  a  perforated  white  centre. 

Apex — pointed,  sometimes  furcated. 

Inferences. — The  substance  of  the  cortex  is  fibrous,  but  it  may  have  a  squamose 
exterior;  the  coloring  matter  is  disseminated  in  the  cortex  and  intermediate  substance. 
The  central  canal  is  sometimes  void,  and  sometimes  filled  with  a  white  substance. 

Note. — These  whiskers  were  drawn  out  of  a  dried  specimen,  which  accounts  for  our 
having  no  follicle  to  examine  and  seeing  no  vessels,  they  being  left  behind. 

OF  THE  WHISKERS  OF  THE  POSSUM. — (Didelphis  virginica.)  Sepecimen,  the  common 
Possum,  found  wild  near  Philadelphia. 

Length,  from  2T^  to  3  inches;  diameter,  ^  of  an  inch.  Stalk,  cylindrical,  gradually 
tapering  to  a  point,  unless,  (which  often  happens,)  it  is  furcated.  Direction,  undulated; 
posterior  extremity  perforated;  no  button.  Incurs,  (which  is  a  dried  specimen,)  blood- 
red  central  grains.  Disks, — one  exhibited  a  light  cortex,  a  white  substance,  a  compressed 
dark-colored  ring,  and  a  central  canal.  Another  shows  a  white  cortex,  a  dotted  substance, 
a  compressed  dark  ring,  and  a  central  canal.  (See  fig.  13,  a  and  b,  for  a  representation 
of  the  stalk — 13,  c  and  d,  for  the  disks.) 

Remarks  on  Whiskers. — The  differences  between  whiskers  and  common  hairs  are:  1st. 
An  ordinary  hair  has  a  button,  but  a  whisker  has  none.  2d.  The  posterior  extremity  of 
a  whisker  is  perforated,  that  of  a  hair  is  not.  3d.  The  lower  extremity  of  the  shaft  of  a 
whisker  is  sometimes  colored  blood-red,  which  is  not  the  case  with  that  of  an  ordinary 
hair.  4th.  There  is  a  great  ductility  and  tenacity  in  a  whisker,  compared  with  an 
ordinary  hair.  5th.  The  vessels  of  a  whisker  are  more  apparent  than  in  an  ordinary  hair. 
6th.  The  cubic  or  cuneiform  white  matter,  seen  in  the  canal  of  a  whisker,  has  not  been 
detected  in  ordinary  hairs. 

OF  BRISTLES. — The  word  is  from  the  Saxon  "bristl,"  and  means  the  strong,  stiff  hairs 
that  are  found  upon  the  back  of  the  boar. 

Cuvier  says  they  are  chamfered*  their  whole  length,  by  20  or  more  furrows,  formed 

*  Chamfer  is  from  the  French  "  ehambrcr,"  a  furrow  or  hollow  in  a  column. 


22  TIUCHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

by  the  union  of  as  many  filaments.  We  find  them  chamfered,  but  that  they  are  formed 
by  the  union  of  20  or  more  filaments,  we  are  unable  to  confirm,  and  yet  would  not  like 
positively  to  deny.  We  made  many  transverse  sections,  which  were  examined  under  the 
microscope,  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  if  any  such  union  exists.  Sometimes,  especially 
where  the  section  is  made  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  furcation,  separate  portions  of  the 
shaft  may  be  seen  ;  but  they  are  not  homogeneous  in  shape,  as  it  seems  to  us  they  ought 
to  be  if  they  were  an  union  of  filaments  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  have  the  appearance  of  the 
fibres  of  other  furcated  pile.  We  separated  one  bristle  throughout,  into  as  many  portions 
as  there  were  furcations.  Upon  exposing  these  to  view  under  the  microscope,  the  sides 
that  had  been  exterior  could  easily  be  detected  by  their  smooth  appearance,  while  those 
that  were  originally  the  interior  were  covered  with  ruptured  fibrils.  (See  fig.  14.) 

Cuvier  says,  also,  that  each  bristle  has  two  canals,  one  for  the  marrow  and  the  other  a 
humor.  We  could  not  find  them. 

EXAMINATION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  BRISTLE  OF  A  RUSSIAN  WILD  BOAR.  —  Length  9^ 
inches  ;  diameter  -fa  of  an  inch.  Color  of  the  button,  brown  ;  of  the  shaft,  white,  and 
transparent  for  the  distance  of  3  inches,  and  opaque  for  the  rest.  Button  in  length,  T^T 
of  an  inch  ;  diameter,  ^  ;  posterior  termination,  quill  shaped  ;  shaft,  chamfered.  Apex 
very  much  furcated. 

COMPARISON  OF  DIMENSIONS  OF  ELEVEN  VARIETIES  OF  BRISTLES,  SELECTED  FROM  OUR 
COLLECTION.  — 

No.  1,  French,  black.        Length,    11  ft  inches.      Diameter,  -fa  of  an  inch. 

white.  "         13  ft         "  "         ^          " 

"     2,        «  «  9ft         «  «          ft 

"    3,   Ohio,  6  TV  & 

"    4,  Russian,  "  6  ft         "  "         ^          " 

11    5,  German,  "  5  ft         « 

"    6,  "  "  5 

"    7,  Ohio,  "  4  ft         "  "  r 

"    8,  French,  "  4  ft         "  "         ^ 

"    9,  Flanders,*  "  3  ft         "  "        T|T 

"  10,  Wild  Boar  of  Russia,  "  9  "  "         ^ 

"11,  Okakla  of  "  "  5  ft         "  "         £ 

From  the  above  it  appears  that  the  French  bristle  is  the  longest,  but  that  of  Ohio  is  the 
stoutest. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  six  Varieties.  — 

No.  1.  One  inch  submitted  to  the  trichometer  May  28th,  1749. 

With  1,070  grains  it  stretched  Jg-  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      4,466  "  -£> 

"      9,000  "  ft          "  " 

"     10,000  "  ft 

*  Very  much  esteemed  for  paint  brushes. 


" 
"  " 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  23 

With  11,362  grains  it  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      13,000     "  "  fa          "  minus  "     fa 

"       15,038     "  "  ft  "  .1  ^ 

"       16,000     "  "  ||  "  "  l£ 

"      17,000     "       it  broke. 
Fracture  very  rugged. 
No.  2.   One  inch  examined,  e.  d. 

With  11,362  grains  it  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"       18,354     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"       21,413     "  "  fa 

"       24,909     "  i£          "  "  " 

"      28,405     "  "  ^         "  minus  fa 

"       31,901      «  «  ££          "  «       1£ 

"      35,397     "       it  broke. 

Fracture  abrupt  on  one  side,  with  the  filament  disrupted  and  displaced  on  the  other. 
No.  3.  Two  experiments,  e.  d. 
Experiment  No.  1. — 

With  21,874  grains  it  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     27,124     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"     28,874     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"     31,061     "       it  broke. 
Experiment  No.  2. — 

With  23,624  grains  it  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     27,124     "  "  fa       '"  "  " 

"     28,874     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"     34,124     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"     35,874     "       it  broke. 
No.  4.  e.  d. 

With    7,866  grains  it  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      11,362     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"      14,858     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"     18,354     "       it  broke. 
No.  6.  e.  d. 

With    1,070  grains  it  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
3,518     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

3,666     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"       4,266     "  "  fa         "  "  " 

"       5,576     "       it  broke. 

OF  MANE  HAIRS. — The  word  mane,  (Maene  Belg.,)  designates  the  long  hair  which 
hangs  from  the  neck  of  certain  animals.     The  French  call  it  "crin;"  but  they  call  the 
hair  of  the  tail  by  the  same  name. 
6 


24  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIOM; 

The  Mane  of  the  Lion. — The  female  of  this  species  has  no  mane,  and  the  male  is 
born  without  it. 

Examination  and  Description  of  the  Mane  of  the  Lion,  exhibited  in  Philadelphia  in 
1849. — Length,  about  12  inches;  shape,  cylindrical ;  diameter,  ¥^  of  an  inch;  color, 
black,  white  and  corneous ;  lustre,  feeble.  Button,  club-shaped  and  hooked ;  direction, 
flowing ;  inclination,  at  an  acute  angle. 

Shaft,  cortex ;  diameter,  ^±-$  of  an  inch ;  color,  black ;  fibres,  white ;  diameter,  ^-^  of 
an  inch.  One  white  shaft  has  a  corneous  cortex,  and  white  fibres.  Some  of  the  shapes 
are  polychromatic.  Apices,  furcated.  Two  hairs  were  found  in  one  follicle. 

Of  the  Mane  of  the  Horse. — Examination  of  the  Mane  of  the  celebrated  running  mare 
Fashion. — Length,  about  12  inches  ;  diameter,  from  -j^to  Ju  of  an  inch.  Button,  globose, 
contorted,  hooked,  black,  or  white  and  not  hooked.  Sheath  seldom  met  with,  and  when 
it  occurs,  very  thin,  white,  opaque.  Follicle,  had  none  to  examine.  Shaft,  cylindrical 
and  cylindroidal,  black  and  brownish  yellow.  Transverse  sections,  (or  disks,)  show  a 
brown  compact  ring,  with  a  small  white  centre,  in  which  the  ends  of  the  fibres  can  be 
seen.  With  3,766  grains,  one  inch  stretched  1$  of  an  inch,  and  upon  removing  the 
weight,  recovered  its  original  length.  With  3,766  grains  it  broke.  Fracture,  angular 
transverse. 

The  Mane  of  the  Cervus  Canadensis. — Length,  6  inches;  shape,  oval  and  ovoidal ; 
diameter,  -%%-$  by  T|^-  of  an  inch.  Black  and  rusty  brown;  no  lustre;  direction,  nearly 
straight;  inclination,  at  an  acute  angle. 

Shaft,  cortex;  diameter,  ^^^  of  an  inch;  color,  corneous;  fibres,  dirty  white  color, 
loosely  compacted,  the  end  of  them  upon  a  vertical  section  shrivelled,  and  not  well 
denned;  diameter,  -5-^-5  of  an  inch,  solid  and  heterogeneous  in  form. 

The  Cameleopard,  or  Giraffe,  has  a  rr\ane  which  commences  between  the  horns;  it  con- 
sists of  short  and  almost  straight  hair,  and  continues  over  the  neck  and  on  to  the  withers, 
(lllus.  of  Nat.  Hist.  215.)  We  have  none  of  this  integumen  in  our  cabinet. 

OF  TAIL  HAIRS. — Examination  of  the  Tail  Hair  of  the  celebrated  running  mare 
"Fashion." — Length,  9  to  12  inches;  diameter,  -g^th  of  an  inch;  black,  brownish  yellow, 
or  white;  the  black  predominating.  Button,  irregularly  shaped;  mostly  hooked  and 
contorted.  Sheath,  thin,  white,  opaque,  embracing  the  button  closely ;  shaft,  cylindrical 
or  cylindroidal ;  transverse  sections  or  disks  of  the  black,  solid,  dark-colored,  with  a  small 
point  of  a  lighter  color  in  the  centre ;  of  the  brownish  yellow,  solid  yellow,  with  a  white  spot 
in  the  centre,  and  of  the  white,  solid,  dirty -white,  opaque,  with  a  lighter  speck  in  the  centre. 
Trial  with  the  trichometer  : — Bar.  29;  Ther.  80;  Dew-point,  69. 

With  3,766  grains,  it  stretched  ¥Vn  °f  an  inch;  upon  removing  the  weight,  recovered 
its  original  length. 

With  4,266  grains,  it  stretched  ¥\ths,'and  elasticity  entire 
"     4,766      "  "          ^.ths,  " 

"     5,266      "  "  ^ths,  "     minus 

"     5,766      "  "  lAfhs,  "          " 

'•     6,266      "         it  broke;  fracture  abrupt. 


OH,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  25 

A  shaving  taken  from  the  exterior  of  the  black  hair  was  dark-colored,  and  one  from  the 
brownish  yellow,  was  brownish  yellow;  showing  that  the  coloring  matter  was  in  the 
cortex.* 

Remarks. — The  delicate  dimensions  and  lustre,  smallness  of  the  button,  thinness  of 
the  sheath,  and,  above  all,  large  number  of  the  vessels  of  this  hair  of  the  body,  show  the 
thorough  breeding  of  the  mare ;  but  the  deficiency  in  ductility  and  tenacity  of  the  hair  of 
the  mane,  would  not  indicate  much  vital  power. 

Tail  of  the  Hippopotamus. — This  tail  is  ovoidal;  diameter,  at  the  posterior  extremity,  T|u 
of  an  inch;  at  the  anterior,  Tf  7;  color,  black;  disks  exhibit  the  termination  of  small, 
irregularly  shaped  fibres.  Fig.  16  represents  a  transverse  section. 

Tail  of  the  Zebra. — This  hair  is  cylindrical  and  oval;  diameter,  T|r  of  an  inch;  color, 
black,  except  a  minute  white  central  spot. 

Tail  of  the  Cerous. — This  hair  is  oval;  diameter,  ^-5  by  T|T,  tapering  to  T}g  by  j^^. 

Tail  of  the  Arabian  Bull. — This  hair  is  cylindrical;  diameter,  T-J-g-  of  an  inch;  cortex, 
black,  solid ;  diameter,  ^^ ;  centre  sometimes  a  void  canal,  and,  at  others,  partly  filled  with 
a  white  scaly  substance 

Fig.  16 — 2  represents  the  disk  of  the  tail  of  the  Elephant. 

*  HAIR  OF  THE  BODY. — Length,  from  ^ths  to  fgSu  of  an  inch;  greatest  diameter,  j^s  of  an  inch;  button,  quill- 
gliapcd,  white,  opaque.  Sheath,  none;  or,  if  any,  adhering  so  closely  to  the  button  as  to  be  undistinguishable.  Follicle, — 
had  none  to  examine.  Vessels, — numerous,  fibrous, — divergent  from  the  lower  extremity  of  the  button.  Shaft, — oval, 
brownish-yellow  or  white,  lustrous.  Cortex, — transversely  striated,  indicating  minute  scales.  Transverse  sections,  (or  disks,) 
show  a  solid  yellow  ring,  with  a  white  centre.  Apex,  pointed. 


26  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIFM; 


CHAPTER    II. 

PILE  is  an  animal  apparatus,  consisting  of  several  organs,  distinguishable  by  different 
membranes,  but  acting  unitedly  to  accomplish  destined  ends.  It  possesses,  per  se,  no 
sensation  nor  power  of  voluntary  motion ;  but  is  connected  with  a  tissue  rich  in  vessels 
and  nerves. 

That  Pile  is  not  vegetable,  as  was  anciently  supposed,  is  proved  by 

The  manner  in  which  the  Shaft  elongates. — Hair  does  not  grow  by  additions  to  its  points, 
like  the  roots  of  vegetables ;  nor  by  a  simultaneous  elongation  of  the  whole  shaft,  like  their 
stems ;  but  by  additions  at  the  LOWER  EXTREMITY,  so  that  the  newly  produced  portions  are 
continually  forcing  the  old  ones  forward.  This  is  the  reason  why  no  injuries,  such  as 
splitting  at  the  apex;  nor  any  losses,  such  as  a  deprivation  of  the  point  of  pile,  can  ever 
be  repaired.  If  the  natural  point  of  a  hair  (which  is  the  first  part  of  the  stalk  that  is 
produced)  be,  accidentally  or  intentionally,  removed,  it  is  never  repaired.  This  is  also  the 
reason  why  hair,  which  has  been  dyed,  shows  its  undyed  color  first  nearest  to  the  skin  ; 
and  why  marks,  made  upon  the  fleece  of  sheep,  become,  in  time,  obliterated,  beginning  to 
blanche  near  the  body  of  the  animal. 

This  property  of  growing  by  additions  at  the  lower  extremity,  only,  distinguishes  pile 
from  vegetables,  and  is  capable  of  being  made  use  of  as  one  of  the  tests  of  a  true  hair. 

OF  THE  DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  PILE. — Pile,  when  in  a  normal  and  healthy  condition, 
and  fully  developed,  has  the  following  parts: — 

A  shaft, — at  the  inferior  extremity  of  which  is  a  button,  and  at  the  superior  one  &  point. 

This  shaft  has  a  cortex,  which  is  either  squamose  or  paved, — intermediate  fibres,  which 
are  divisible  into  fibrils,  and  a  centre,  which  is  either  solid  or  has  a  canal.  The  canal 
(when  present)  either  contains  a  granulated  substance  and  pigment  cells,  or  a  granulated 
substance  and  no  pigment  cells — or,  the  canal  is  void. 

The  button,  with  the  lower  extremity  of  the  shaft,  is  set  in  a  follicle,  which  has  a  double 
lining  membrane,  called  a  sheath. 

Recapitulation : — 
1.  SHAFT. 

1.  Button. 

2.  Point. 

3.  Cortex. 

1.  Squamose. 

2.  Paved. 

4.  Intermediate  fibres  and  fibrils. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  27 

5.  Centre. 

1.  Solid. 

2.  Canal. 

1.  Granulated  substance  and  pigment  cells. 

2.  "  "         without    "          " 

3.  Void. 
2.  FOLLICLE. 

1.  Sheath. 

2.  Vessels,  &c. 

Of  the  Button. — When  a  hair  is  drawn  out  of  the  head,  there  is  generally  found,  at  its 
lower  extremity,  a  swelling ;  this  is  the  button.  It  is  spheroidal,  ovoidal,  spindle,  pestle, 
or  club-shaped,  or  amorphous;  is  generally  white  and  translucent,  but  sometimes  dark- 
colored  and  opaque. 

This  part  had  (in  common  with  the  follicle)  been  called  the  "bulb;"  but  Henle  (who 
has  o-iven  an  elaborate  account  of  it)  'has  conferred  the  name  of  button. 

O  / 

Of  the  Cells  of  the  Button. — We  drew  a  fully  developed  hair  from  the  head  of  an  oval- 
haired  lad  of  14,  who  was  in  good  health,  and,  placing  it  immediately  under  the  micro- 
scope, saw  in  the  button  numerous  globular  cells,  imbedded  in  a  white  translucent 
substance.  Fig.  16  a  represents  this  object.  The  length  of  this  button  is  T374g-  of  a  milli- 
meter ;  the  diameter,  -j^ ,  while  that  of  the  shaft  is  T|T.  The  cells  do  not  exceed  in 
diameter  the  ^-J-g-  of  a  millimeter. 

Upon  recurring  to  this  object  again,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  days,  those  previously  well- 
defined  cells  had  disappeared,  leaving  irregularly  shaped  lines  and  shadows,  as  represented 
in  Fig.  16  b. 

Another  button,  drawn  from  the  same  head,  and  examined  immediately,  had  no  cells, 
but  bore  the  appearance  represented  in  Fig.  17. 

Of  the  Normal  Shape  of  a  Button. — From  numerous  examinations,  we  are  of  opinion 
that  the  hair  of  the  head  of  the  oval-haired  species,  when  the  subject  is  in  health,  and  the 
integximent  is  in  a  normal  condition,  and  fully  developed,  is  well  represented  by  figures 
16  a-,  16  b,  and  17.  But  we  must  not  expect  to  find  it  always  to  conform  to  this  outline, — 
from  which  it  varies  in  very  many  instances,  sometimes  to  a  considerable  degree, — as  will 
be  shown  in  the  progress  of  this  work. 

As  to  the  color  of  the  button,  Henle  represents  it,  when  belonging  to  healthy  hairs  that 
are  colored,  to  be,  for  the  most  part,  colored  also,  and  when  found  upon  grey  (colorless) 
hairs,  to  be  white. 

But,  according  to  our  experience,  the  button  of  a  healthy  hair  is  very  apt  to  be  white 
and  translucent,  even  when  the  hair  is  colored.  But  this  translucency  diminished  when 
the  hair  had  been  long  drawn. 

Note. — Care  must  be  taken  not  to  confound  the  button  with  the  follicle,  which  will  be 

hereinafter  described.     The  follicle  never  draws  out  of  the  head  of  the  oval-haired  species. 

It  must  be  dissected  out  or  obtained  by  maceration.     But  the  shaft  often  draws  out,  leaving 

the  button  in  the  follicle.     Fig.  18  represents  one  of  these,  from  the  head  of  His  Excel- 

7 


28  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

lency  Governor  Johnson.     The  whole  length  is  one  millimeter;  diameter,  T£T  of  a  milli- 
meter; that  of  the  shaft  being  T$T. 

It  is  easy  to  remove  the  button  from  the  end  of  a  shaft,  immediately  after  it  is  drawn 
out, — when  the  same  appearance,  as  in  Fig.  18,  is  represented. 

Buttons  are  often  found  upon  the  ends  of  hairs  ihat  fall  out.  Fig.  19  represents  one  of 
these,  from  a  hair  of  the  head  of  His  Excellency  James  Madison,  combed  out,  in  his  life- 
time, and  presented  to  us  by  Mrs.  Madison  since  his  death. 

Henle  is  of  opinion,  that  the  difference  in  appearance  is  owing  to  these  fallen  hairs 
having  arrived  at  fuller  maturity. 

Of  Hairs  without  a  Button. — From  what  has  been  said  in  regard  to  the  cells  seen  in  the 
button,  it  is  inferable  that  the  shaft  is  generated  by  the  button.  Nevertheless,  we  occa- 
sionally find  hairs  without  a  bxitton. 

This  subject  will  be  resumed  and  explained,  under  title  "Follicle." 

Of  the  Button  of  the  Hair  of  the  Htad  of  the  cylindrical-piled  Man. — Generally,  these 
buttons  are  not  so  regularly  shaped  as  those  of  the  oval-haired  species. 

Fig.  21,  Nos.  1,  2  and  3,  represent  the  buttons  of  three  of  these,  all  from  the  heads  of 
pure  American  Indians,  viz: — No.  1,  is  from  the  head  of  Bish-e-ki-se-quau,  a  female,  aged 
30,  a  pure  Sac,  a  descendant  of  Black  Hawk,  sent  to  us  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Symington,  of 
Independence,  Missouri.  No.  2,  is  from  the  head  of  Tuh-dxih-guh-mah-ke,  a  male,  of 
about  25,  whose  father  was  a  pure  Ottowa,  and  his  mother  a  pure  Chippewa.  Sent  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  P.  Dougherty,  of  Grand  Traverse,  Michigan.  No.  3,  is  from  the  head  of  South 
Wind,  a  male,  aged  17,  a  pure  Iowa.  Sent  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  William  Hamilton,  of  St. 
Joseph's,  Missouri. 

It  is  not  pretended  that  these  three  buttons  furnish  the  types  of  all  those  of  the  cylin- 
drical-piled man, — but  only  some  examples,  selected  from  those  in  our  cabinet,  where  the 
greatest  variety  in  shape  may  be  seen,  to  show  the  general  outline. 

The  button  of  the  pile  of  the  head  of  the  pure  eccentrical,  elliptical  species,  comes  next 
under  examination. 

Of  this  pile  we  have,  in  our  cabinet,  one  specimen,  presented  by  Dr.  Hering,  of  this 
city;  one  from  Delaware,  and  several  from  the  Southern  States;  but  our  principal  supply 
is  from  Africa,  obtained  through  the  kindness  of  our  missionaries. 

Fig.  22  represents  the  button,  or  hair,  of  the  head  of  a  pure  African. 

The  buttons,  like  the  hairs  of  the  heads  of  Hybrids,  resemble,  sometimes,  those  of  one 
parent  or  ancestor,  and  sometimes  those  of  the  other  parent  or  ancestor ;  therefore,  it  would 
be  useless  to  describe  those  hairs  or  buttons. 

Hitherto  we  have  considered  the  button  found  upon  the  hair  of  the  head  ;  we  must  next 
speak  of  those  found  upon  other  parts  of  the  human  skin.  They  comprise  the  following, 
viz  :  1,  the  pavilion  of  the  external  ear;  2,  the  eye-brows;  3,  the  eye-lids;  4,  the  nasal 
fossse :  5,  the  whisker  hairs  of  man;  6,  the  beard;  7,  the  arm-pits;  8,  the  pubes;  9  the 
limbs,  and  10,  the  downy  hairs  of  the  body  generally. 

Each  of  these  different  varieties  are  possessed  of  definite  characters,  which  we  will 
endeavor  to  point  out ;  but  we  warn  the  reader,  in  advance,  that  he  must  not  expect  to 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  29 

pluck  out  one  of  his  own  or  his  neighbor's  hairs  and  to  find  it  agree,  in  every  particular, 
with  our  description  or  drawing ;  for  pile,  from  the  same  region  of  different  individuals, 
and  even  from  the  same  individual,  varies  like  leaves  from  the  same  species  of  tree  or 
same  tree. 

1.  Of  the  Hairs  of  the  Pavilion  of  the  External  Ear  and  its  Button. — This  pavilion  is 
fibro-cartilaginous,  thin  and  expanded.     It  has  five  eminences  and  three  depressions,  which 
are  described  in  Dungl.  Hum.  Physi.,  1  v.,  p.  147-8.     The  hairs  upon  these  parts  differ 
somewhat  one  from  another  ;  they  vary  in  length,  from  three  to  five-quarters  of  an  inch. 
Shape,  cylindroidal ;  diameter,  from  T^  to  ^T  of  an  inch,  different  specimens.   Button,  some- 
times club-shaped,   at  others  amorphous ;  length  of  one  of  the  latter  -£fo  of  an  inch ; 
diameter,  T|^ ;  that  of  the  shaft  being  ^-5- ;  shaft,  transversely  striated ;  intermediate  fibres, 
white,  opaqiie,  lustrous,  easily  separated  ;  one  of  them  measured  j^V^  of  an  inch ;  apex, 
pointed  ;  diameter,  ^^\T7  of  an  inch ;  none  furcated.     These  hairs  are  tough. 

Fig  24,  Nos.  1  and  2,  represent  two  of  these  hairs  from  a  tuft  that  surrounded  the  meatus 
auditorius  externus. 

2.  Of  the  Hair  of  the  Eye-Brows,  (super  cilium,)  audits  Button. — Goldsmith  remarks 
that  next  to  the  eyes,  the  features  which  give  a  character  to  the  face,  are  the  eye-brows. 
And  Le  Brun,  in  giving  a  painter  directions  in  regard  to  delineating  the  passions,  places 
the  principle  expression  of  the  face  on  the  eye-brows.     The  Chinese  bestow  great  atten- 
tion to  these  hairs. 

They  are  in  length  from  a  half  to  a  whole  inch,  and  sometimes  even  longer.  Inclination, 
towards  the  outer  angle  of  the  eye.  The  hairs  of  the  eye-brows  of  Prof.  James  McClin- 
tock,  M.  D.,  measure  one  inch  and  ^  ;  have  a  diameter  of  T^  of  an  inch ;  are  angular, 
curved  ;  light  brown  colored  at  the  posterior  extremity,  and  light  at  the  apex.  This  pile 
has  generally  a  diameter  of  about  ¥-ig-  of  an  inch.  Fig.  25,  No.  1,  represents  one  of  these 
hairs  and  buttons,  drawn  from  the  brow  of  a  very  fat  person,  where  a  is  a  part  of  the 
shaft,  b  the  button,  c  a  part  of  the  follicle,  and  d  a  part  of  the  tissue  disrupted  and  drawn 
out  with  the  hair. 

Vidal  (Traitee  de  Path.,  v.  3,  p.  579,)  says  that  persons  have  been  known  who  never 
had  any  eye-brows,  but  we  have  not  witnessed  this  phenomenon. 

3.  Of  the  Eye-Lashes  or  Hairs  of  the  Eye-Lids,  (cilium,)  and  their  Buttons. — Anciently 
the  word  cilium  was  applied  to  the  utmost  edge  of  the  eye-lid,  and   the  hair  issuing 
therefrom.     (See  Plin.  2  Gels.)     It  is  now  confined  to  the  hair. 

It  is  said  that  persons  have  existed  who  had  a  double  row  of  eye-lashes,  which,  in 
Burk's  Greek  derivative  dictionary,  is  called  "dystichia;"  from  "duo,"  two,  and  "stikos" 
a  row.  But  we  have  not  seen  any  such  persons.  According  to  Goldsmith,  man  and  apes 
are  the  only  animals  who  have  eye-lashes  upon  both  the  upper  and  lower  lids  of  the  eye. 
The  eye-lashes  of  the  Rhea,  or  American  Ostrich,  referred  to  in  Goodrich's  Geography, 
p.  444,  are  feathers.  (See  Ante.,  Chapter  1.)  It  is  generally  thought  that  eye-lashes 
contribute  to  the  expression  of  the  eye,  particularly  when  they  are  long,  close  and  black. 
They  have  the  greatest  diameter  near  the  centre,  tapering  both  ways,  which  forms,  of 
each  particular  hair,  a  bow.  This  simple,  but  beautiful  arrangement  of  these  hairs  is  the 


30  TRICIIOLOOIA  MAMMALIUM; 

best  possible  that  can  be  imagined,  for  forming,  when  the  lids  are  partly  closed,  a  com- 
plete obstruction  to  the  admission  of  insects,  &c.,  and  yet  when  the  lids  are  open,  no  way 
shutting  out  the  light. 

Fig  26  a  represents  an  eye-lash  of  a  lad  of  fourteen  years,  belonging  to  the  oval-haired 
species,  where  may  be  seen  a  well-shaped  button,  a  neck,  a  swelled  part,  and  another 
portion  gradually  tapering  to  a  point. 

No.  26  b  represents  another  hair  from  the  same  place,  where  the  shaft  is  drawn  out  of 
the  button,  with  a  small  piece  of  the  tissue  adhering. 

4.  Hairs  of  the  Nasal  Fosses,  (Vibrissee,)  with  their  Buttons. — Whole  length,  from  \  to 
\   an  inch ;  shape,  oval ;  diameter,  -^ T  by  ^T ;  button,   club-shaped,  with  sometimes  a 
neck  between  it  and  the  shaft.     Length  of  button,  y^ ;  diameter,  ^|T  of  an  inch ;  shaft, 
gradually  tapering,  greatest  diameter,  ¥|T;  apex,  rounded;  diameter,  y^Vir  of  an  inch  ;  disk 
exhibits  a  minute  central  white  speck  of  the  diameter  of  -g|T,  that  of  the  shaft  being  -%\^  of 
an  inch. 

Figure  27  represents  one  of  these  hairs,  where  may  be  seen  the  button  sub-oval,  a  short 
neck  which  appears  to  have  been  twisted;  a,  shaft  with  its  t«-~  Averse  striae,  and  a  trace 
of  coloring  matter. 

5.  The  common  Whisker  Hair  of  Man  and  its  Button. — This  word  is  sometimes  confined 
to  the  hair  of  the  face  from  the  temple  to  the  chin,  and  at  others  includes  that  which  grows 
upon  the  upper  lip,  also  called  the  moustaches.     They  belong  to  the  category  of  the  beard, 
and  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  the  whiskers  of  some  of  the  lower  animals ;  which, 
as  we  have  shown  in  chapter  1,  are  organs  of  tact.    . 

6.  Of  the  Beard  and  its  Button. — This  portion  of  the  pile  of  man  is  important,  as  it  is 
made,  by  some  writers,  one  of  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  the  oval-haired  species. 
Mr.  Smith,  for  instance,  describes  "  the  bearded  intermediate  or  Caucasian  type,"  and  tells 
us  it  is  so  named  because  neither  of  the  two  other  typical  forms  is  distinguished  by  a  well- 
grown  beard.     (See  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Human  Species,  p.  368.)     But  the  American  Indian 
plucks  out  his  beard. 

Description  of  a  Filament  of  Beard  of  the  Hon.  R******  F****.— Length,  16  to  17 
inches;  shape,  eccentrically  elliptical;  diameter,  T|-g-  by  •%%-$  of  an  inch.  Button,  club- 
shaped,  white,  opaque ;  length,  fa ;  diameter,  •^-I,  that  of  the  shaft  being  ^\-$.  Shaft,  white, 
opaque ;  apex,  pointed  and  sometimes  furcated ;  shaft,  cortex,  easily  removed  ;  intermediate 
fibres,  white ;  diameter,  %fa  ~o  °f  an  incn-  Centre,  white,  ¥J-g-  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

Figure  28  represents  three  shafts  of  beard  of  Dr.  Burr,  growing  out  of  one  button.  It 
was  drawn  from  a  small  papula  that  made  its  appearance  upon  his  chin,  and  when  it  was 
drawn  out,  was  succeeded  by  two  more  hairs  similarly  united. 

Of  the  Fashions  of  Wearing  the  Hair  and  Beard. — Upon  the  different  habits  and 
fashions  of  wearing  the  hair  and  beard,  Goldsmith  remarks :  "  That  some,  and  among 
others  the  Turks,  cut  the  hair  off  their  heads  and  let  their  beards  grow.  Europeans,  on 
the  contrary,  shave  their  beards  and  wear  their  hair.  The  negroes  shave  their  heads  in 
figures;  at  one  time  in  stars,  at  another  in  the  manner  of  friars;  and  still  more  commonly 
in  alternate  stripes ;  and  their  little  boys  are  shaved  in  the  same  manner.  The  Talapoins 


OH,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  31 

of  Siam  shave  the  heads  and  the  eye-brows  of  such  children  as  are  committed  to  their  care. 
Every  nation  seems  to  have  entertained  diiferent  prejudices,  at  different  times  in  favor  of  one 
part  or  another  of  the  beard.  Some  have  admired  the  hair  upon  the  cheeks  on  each  side,  as  we 
see  with  some  young  men  among  ourselves  Some  like  the  hair  lower  down ;  some  choose  it 
curled;  and  others  like  it  straight.  Some  have  it  cut  into  a  peak,  and  others  shave  all  but  the 
whisker.  This  particular  part  of  the  beard  was  highly  prized  among  the  Spaniards  ;  'till 
of  late,  a  man,  without  whiskers  was  considered  as  unfit  for  company ;  and  where  nature 
had  denied  them,  art  took  care  to  supply  the  deficiency.  We  are  told  of  a  Spanish 
general,  who,  when  he  borrowed  a  large  sum  of  money  from  the  Venetians,  panned  his 
whiskers  ;  which  he  afterwards  took  proper  care  to  redeem.  Kingson  assures  us  that  a 
considerable  part  of  the  religion  of  the  Tartars,  consists  in  the  management  of  their 
whiskers :  and  that  they  waged  a  long  and  bloody  war  with  the  Persians,  declaring  them 
infidels,  merely  because  they  would  not  (jive  their  whiskers  the  orthodox  cut.  The  kings  of 
Persia  wore  their  whiskers  matted  with  gold  thread ;  and  even  the  kings  of  France  of  the 
first  races,  had  them  knotted  and  buttoned  with  gold.  But  of  all  nations,  the  Americans 
[American  Indians]  take  the  greatest  pains  in  cutting  their  hair  and  plucking  their  beards; 
so  that  some  have  supposed  them  to  have  no  beard  naturally;  and  even  Linnaeus  has  fall  en 
into  that  mistake.  The  hair  is  cut  into  bands,  and  no  small  care  is  employed  in  adjusting 
the  whisker." 

To  the  above  we  would  add  that  the  ancient  Hebrews  wore  a  beard  upon  the  chin,  but 
not  on  the  upper  lip,  and  were  divinely  forbidden  to  cut  their  beards  like  the  heathen 
Egyptians,  who  left  only  a  tuft  of  hair  on  the  chin.  Neglecting  to  trim  the  hair  and  beard 
was  expressive  of  great  mourning.  (See  Isa.,  xv.  2.  Jer.,  xli.  5,  &c.)  To  forcibly  shave 
the  beard  of  any  one  was  considered  an  insult.  (2  Sam.  x.,  4,  5.) 

The  first  Indians  seen  by  Columbus  at  San  Salvador,  are  described  as  entirely  naked, 
their  black  hair  long  and  uncurled  upon  their  shoulders,  with  no  beards,  and  every  part  of 
the  body  perfectly  smooth. 

Mr.  Jefferson  remarks  that  "  it  has  been  said  that  the  [North  American]  Indians  have 
less  hair  than  the  whites,  except  on  the  head ;  but  this  is  a  fact  of  which  fair  proof  can 
hardly  be  had.  With  them  it  is  disgraceful  to  have  hairs  on  the  body,  they  say  it  likens 
themjto  hogs;  they  therefore  pluck  it  out  as  fast  as  it  appears.  But  the  traders  who  marry 
their  women,  and  prevail  on  them  to  discontinue  this  practice,  say,  that  nature  is  the  same 
with  them  as  with  the  whites.  Nor  if  the  fact  [assertion]  be  true,  is  the  consequence 
necessary  which  has  been  drawn  from  it;  negroes  have  notoriously  less  hair  than  the 
whites,  yet  they  are  more  ardent." 

In  many  African  kingdoms,  rank  is  estimated  by  the  length  and  thickness  of  the  beard. 
(Duncan's  Travels  in  Western  Africa,  2  v.,  p.  5.)  The  Miaou-tse,  who  are  supposed  to 
be  the  aborigines  of  China,  cut  off  the  forelocks  and  spread  the  hair  behind.  (Latham.) 
Some  Tapuans,  of  the  New  Guinea  Coast,  dress  their  pile  in  long,  narrow,  pipe-like  curls, 
smeared  with  red  ochre  and  grease,  with  a  band  round  the  forehead.  (Latham  Hist,  of 
Races,  &c.,  214.)  Others  use  wigs.  (Ibid,  215.) 

7.   Of  the  Hairs  of  the  Arm-pit,   (axilla,)   and  its  Button. — This  cavity,  beneath  the 
8 


32 


TIUCIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 


junction  of  the  arm  with  the  shoulder,  is  covered  with  hair,  contains  much  cellular  mem- 
brane, lymphatic  ganglions,  important  vessels  and  nerves,  and  numerous  sebaceous  follicles, 
furnishing  an  odorous  secretion.  The  button  of  this  hair  often  draws  out  with  its  follicle. 

Figure  29  a  is  one  of  these,  upon  which  may  be  seen  the  button,  sub-oval  shaped,  the 
follicle,  with  parts  of  two  disrupted  vessels  ;  also  a  portion  of  the  shaft,  with  its  transverse 
striae  Figure  29  b  represents  a  section  of  the  skin  of  a  male  of  25,  and  the  hair  set 
therein. 

These  hairs  are,  in  general,  in  length  from  one  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  ;  shape,  oval  ; 
diameter,  T{^  by  ^-|T,  gradually  tapering  to  ygV~5  a^  tne  apex;  color,  rather  lighter  than 
that  of  the  head  ;  lustre,  feeble  ;  button,  sometimes  sub-oval,  and  at  others  double  cone- 
shaped  ;  length,  T^  ;  diameter,  5|7,  that  of  the  shaft,  at  the  junction,  being  -^fa,  others 
club-shaped  ;  sheath  small,  white,  opaque  ;  intermediate  fibres,  white  ;  centre,  white, 
interrupted;  apices,  pointed;  none  furcated.  Disks  show  a  minute  central  spot. 

8.  The  Hair  of  the  Pubes,  or  Hypogastric  Hair,  and  its  Button.  —  Called  "  pubes," 
because  this  part  of  the  hypogastric  region  is,  in  both  sexes,  at  the  time  of  puberty, 
covered  with  pile.  In  some  books  this  pile  is  called  "  Pubes  lanugo  Pudendorum,"  and 
in  others  the  word  pubes  is  used  to  denote  the  parts,  and  the  hair  that  grows  thereabouts. 
These  hairs  belong  to  the  same  category  as  tho^e  of  the  beard. 

Examination  and  Description  of  these  Hairs,  from  the  body  of  a  Male,  oval-haired 
person  of  sixty  years  of  age.  —  Length,  about  three  inches  ;  shape,  eccentrically 
elliptical;  greatest  diameter,  -%fa  ;  smallest,  T|T  of  an  inch;  crisped;  color,  brown, 
translucent;  button,  spindle-shaped,  or  tubular,  and  pointed  at  the  inferior  extremity,  or 
rounded.  It  has  sometimes  vessels.  Sheath,  white,  opaque,  investing  the  button; 
occasionally  two  sheaths  adhering,  sometimes  there  is  a  neck  between  the  button  and  the 
shaft;  cortex,  transversely  striated;  centre,  white,  interrupted;  apex,  striated  and  dotted, 
rounded  ;  disk,  with  a  central  oval  spot. 

Hypogastric  pile  is  generally  of  a  lighter  shade  of  color  than  the  hair  of  the  head  of  the 
individual. 

Figure  30  represents  one  of  these  hairs  with  its  button  and  follicle,  and  a  large  portion 
of  the  neighboring  tissue;  "  #,"  the  button;  "b,"  a  part  of  the  follicle;  "  c,"  the  shaft; 
"  d,"  the  tissue  disrupted  and  torn  out  of  the  soft  sebaceous  skin. 

Remarkable  Case.  —  Observing,  in  a  recent  number  of  a  Medical  Journal,  a  report  of 
Robert  King  Stone,  M.  D.,  of  Washington  City,  of  a  lad  only  eight  years  of  age  having 
hypogastric  hair,  I  wrote  for  a  specimen,  and  the  Doctor  kindly  sent  me  a  lock,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  the  boy's  head.  They  are  dark  colored,  while  that  of  his  head  is  light; 
length,  ly^-  of  an  inch;  diameter,  T^y  to  •%•£$•$. 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  minus  -^ 


"  570  " 

"  670  " 

"  720  " 

"  770  " 

"  820  " 


" 

" 


" 

" 


" 

" 


" 
" 


" 

" 


" 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  33 

With  870  grains  one  inch  stretched  i-jj-  of  an  inch,  elasticity  minus  -/ff 
"      920     "  "  if          "  "  "         ^ 

'<        Q7O       "  "  2i  "  "  "  1A 

y/u  90  97 

"  1,020  "  |f  If 

"  1,070  "  ff  "  "  if 

"  1,120  "  |f  "      "  "  if 

"  J,170  "  ".        £f  "      "  "  f£ 

"     1    OOO        "  "  4.0.  "  "  '«  23 

i,**W  90  ^0" 

"  1,270     "       it  broke. 

9.  Hairs  of  the  Limbs  and  their  Button. — These  buttons  vary  much  in  length  on 
different  individuals. 

Figure  31  a  represents  one  of  the  forearm;  where  "a,"  is  the  button;  "£>,"  portions  of 
the  follicle;  "c,"  the  shaft  with  its  transverse  stria?;  "  d,"  a  portion  of  a  disrupted  vessel ; 
"e,"  a  part  of  the  tissue  torn  out. 

A  hair  from  the  back  of  the  hand  has  a  length  of  2  an  inch;  is  in  shape  eccentrically 
elliptical;  greatest  diameter,  ^|T;  smallest,  Ti^;  button,  club-shaped;  sometimes  they  are 
somewhat  hamate;  the  shaft  tapers  gradually,  and  in  the  centre  is  an  interrupted,  dark, 
coloring  matter;  disk,  exhibits  an  oval,  white  central  spot. 

Of  the  downy  Hairs  of  the  body,  (lanugo,)  and  their  Buttons. — The  word  "down  "  is  from 
the  Danish  "dunn,"  and  means  soft  wool,  or  tender  hair.  Lanugo  has  the  same  meaning. 
These  downy  hairs  bear  the  same  relation  to  larger  hairs  that  down  does  to  feathers. 
They  are  of  various  lengths  on  different  individuals.  The  buttons  are  sometimes  club- 
shaped,  and  at  others  pestle-shaped. 

It  is  probable  that  the  button  of  pile  is  more  perishable  than  the  shaft;  for,  upon  a  lock 
of  Mexican  mummy  hair,  which  is  otherwise  in  good  preservation,  not  a  vestige  of  a 
button  is  to  be  seen.  Fig.  32  a  represents  one  of  these  hairs,  and  attention  is  called  to 
the  singular  shape  of  its  posterior  termination. 

On  a  hair  belonging  to  a  lock  of  a  Peruvian  mummy,  which  is  represented  in  Fig.  32  b, 
there  is  no  button. 

In  a  lock  of  hair,  expelled  from  the  uterus,  presented  by  Dr.  Frost,  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  we  could  find  no  hair  with  a  button. 

We  have  a  lock  of  ovarian  hair,  presented  by  Professor  Paul  B.  Goddard,  M.  D.,  of  this 
city.  We  found  only  two  buttons; "and  upon  another  lock  of  ovarian  hair,  presented  by 
Professor  William  E.  Homer,  M.  D.,  late  of  this  city,  no  button  could  be  found. 

We  have  several  hair-balls,  found  in  the  stomachs  of  Ruminants,  the  buttons  upon  the 
hairs  of  which  are  few  in  number,  and  are  generally  diminutive  in  size,  and  distorted. 

Fig.  33  represents  the  ovarian  hair  first  mentioned, — where  "a,"  is  the  button;  "/;,"  the 
shaft,  exhibiting  the  scales  of  the  cortex;  "c,"  a  white  substance,  which  is  probably  the 
remains  of  the  sheath,  with  which  it  is  invested. 

We  have  dwelt  upon  the  button  of  pile,  but  not  more  than  the  importance  of  its  study 
demands,  as  will  be  made  manifest  in  different  parts  of  this  work. 

Some  general  remarks  as  regards  Buttons. — 1.  To  have  a  button,  is  characteristic  of  an 
ordinary  hair  of  a  healthy  subject,  and  when  it  has  arrived  at  maturity. 


34  TIUCIIOLOOIA  MAMMALIUM; 

2.  That  the  presence  of  a  button,  upon  such  a  hair,  distinguishes  it  from  hair-like  pro- 
cesses, which  have  no  buttons. 

3.  That  each  variety  of  hair  has  its  peculiarly  shaped  button,  by  which  the  hairs  of  that 
variety  may  be  known. 

4.  But  that  this  shape  is  liable  to  variation,  owing  to  either  a  variation  in  that  of  the 
shaft,  to  which  it  belongs, — to  disease  of  the  hair,  or  disease  in  the  tissue  in  which  it  is 
imbedded. 

5.  That  the  dimensions  of  the  button  differ;  but,  generally,  it  is  of  greater  diameter 
than  that  of  the  shaft. 

6.  That  hairs,  not  fully  developed,  are  found  with  no  biitton. 

7.  That  it  is  probable  that  there  is  a  connection,  through  the  follicle,  between  the  button 
and  the  vessels  found  in  the  tissue  which  surrounds  the  follicle. 

8.  That  in  combing  and  dressing  the  hair  of  the  head,  care  should  be  taken  not  to 
disturb  this  connection. 

9.  That  a  separation  of  the  button  from  these  vessels  converts  the  hair  into  effete  matter, 
— causes  it  to  fall  out. 

10.  That  the  coloring  matter  of  hair  is  not  elaborated  in  the  button ;  for  hair  of  the 
head  often  loses  its  color,  yet  the  button  retains  its  integrity. 

11.  That  the  button  is  the  most  perishable  part  of  pile. 

It  remains  to  notice  the  buttons  of  the  hairs  of  some  of  the  lower  animals. 

If  we  were  not  limited  in  regard  to  space,  we  would  like  to  describe  and  depict  the 
buttons  of  the  pile  of  the  principal  part  of  the  lower  animals,  as  they  are  exhibited  in  our 
extensive  collection  of  hair  and  wool.  We  feel  confident  that,  at  some  day,  not  very 
remote,  the  lower  animals  will  be  classified  by  their  pile,  and  that,  in  so  doing,  the  buttons 
will  be  found  to  be  valuable  indices  of  species. 

All  that  we  can  do,  at  present,  will  be  to  present  the  reader  with  a  few  of  these  interest- 
ing objects. 

Fig.  34  represents  these  in  outline: — A,  the  Quadrumana,  Troglodyte  gorilla;  B,  the 
Horse,  (drawn  from  a  hair  of  the  famous  running  mare  Fashion;)  C,  the  Zebra;  D,  the 

Cow;  E,  the  Arabian  bull-calf  Holmes,  belonging  to ;  F,  the  Gnou,  or 

Horned-Horse,  (this  is  believed  to  be  a  whisker;)  G,  the  Rocky  Mountain,  American,  or 
Long-Horned  Antelope;  H,  the  Elk;  J,  the  Lama;  K,  the  Dasyprocta  Nigra;  L,  the  Kan- 
garoo Rat. 

OF  THE  APEX,  OR  POINT  OF  THE  SHAFT. — These  terms  have  been  used  indiscriminately, 
to  designate  the  superior  termination  of  pile,  but  it  would  be  better  to  confine  ourselves 
to  the  first;  for,  although  every  hair  has  an  apex,  all  hairs  are  not  pointed;  nor  are  any 
hairs  pointed  that  have  been  cut  or  fractured.  When  viewed  under  the  microscope,  these 
latter  are  perceived  to  be  more  or  less  abrupt;  some  are  even  rounded,  or  inclined.  When 
pile  has  been  left  in  its  natural  state,  it  is  generally  pointed  at  the  apex. 

Some  writers  are  of  opinion,  that  the  obtuseness  of  the  apex  of  pile  is  the  result  of 
constant  friction.  (See  Hassal's  Micros.  Anat.,  p.  9.)  We  have  seen  instances  of  even 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  35 

the  shaft  of  hair  being  fractured  from  friction.  Fig.  36  represents  the  hair  of  the  eye- 
brow of  an  oval-haired  person,  fractured  in  the  shaft  so  much,  that  some  of  the  interme- 
diate fibres  are  obtruding.  The  places  to  study  the  apex  of  hair  is  among  the  unshorn 
locks  of  the  foetus,  or  of  young  children,  whose  hair  has  never  been  cut;  or  the  young 
hairs  of  adults,  which  are  continually  produced  to  supply  the  places  of  those  that  are 
continually  falling  out.  In  all  these  cases  we  find  the  apex  more  or  less  pointed. 

Of  the  pile  of  the  lower  animals,  the  apex  of  some  are  pointed;  as,  for  instance,  the 
Mouse,  the  Ground-Squirrel,  the  Mole,  the  Jumping-Mouse,  of  Canada,  the  Muskrat,  and 
many  others;  while  the  anterior  extremity  of  the  hair  of  the  Goat,  the  Lama,  &c.,  &c., 
are  more  abrupt. 

M.  Mandl  is  of  opinion,  that  "with  individuals  who  have  had  their  hair  recently  cut, 
each  hair  preserves  its  diameter  to  its  free  end,  [anterior  extremity,]  which  presents  a 
truncated  extremity,  where  the  eye  may  determine  this  distinction;  but  that  if  those  same 
hairs  are  examined,  after  a  long  interval,  each  hair  is  found  to  be  terminated  by  a  pointed 
extremity,  more  or  less  long."  M.  Mandl  considers  this  change  to  be  the  result  of  a  vital 
process.  (See  Comptes  rend  us,  1845.)  We  believe  that  this  learned  gentleman  has 
mistaken  for  renewed  points  on  old  hairs,  the  natural  and  original  points  of  new  hairs, 
which  succeed  those  that  fall  out,  during  the  "long  interval,"  to  which  he  has  alluded. 

OF  DlCHOPHY,*  AND  GROWING  DOUBLE  OF  HAIRS  AND    FURCATED    PlLE. Hairs  furcated, 

or  their  fibres  divided  at  the  superior  extremity,  are  not  uncommon. 

Fig.  37  a  represents  a  hair'  of  the  head  of  a  young  lady  of  North  Carolina,  kindly 
presented  to  us  by  her  physician,  as  a  great  curiosity.  She  is  reported  to  be  in  health, 
yet  nearly  every  filament  of  her  hair  is  furcated.  The  hairs  of  the  lock  sent  us,  do  not 
exceed  five  inches  in  length. 

We  have  examined  the  hair  of  the  head  of  a  young  married  lady,  of  this  city,  who  is 
supposed  to  be  laboring  under  pulmonary  consumption,  and  found  nearly  one-fourth  of  the 
filaments  furcated.  We  have  also  examined  the  hair  of  her  father,  mother,  and  two  of  her 
children,  none  of  which  are  furcated. 

Fig.  37  b  represents  the  wool  of  Congo  Billy,  a  pure  negro,  and  will  be  seen  to  be 
furcated. 

Figs.  38  a  and  38  b  represent  two  hairs  of  a  full-blooded  male  Choctaw  Indian;  the 
specimen  presented  by  Dr.  J.  O.  Nott,  of  Mobile.  The  hairs  are  sixteen  inches  long,  and 
they  are,  respectively,  tri-furcated  and  quadra-furcated. 

Sometimes  the  fibres  of  a  hair  are  so  much  divided,  at  the  superior  termination,  as  to 
resemble  a  brush.  (See  fig.  39.) 

Furcated  hairs  are  found  in  the  locks  of  the  Chinese.  In  our  collection  of  ancient  hairs, 
few  are  found  that  are  furcated;  only  one  in  the  hair  of  the  head  of  a  Mexican  mummy, 
and  none  in  those  of  a  Peruvian  mummy. 

*  Dichophy,  from  "  dicha,"  double,  and  "phyo,"  to  grow. 


36 


TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 


They  are  also  scarce  in  our  collection  of  the  hairs  of  lunatics,  as  will  appear  by  the 
following  Table : — 


Pennsylvania  Hospital. 

Asylum  for  Lunatics, 
at  Frankford,  Pa. 

Western  Virginia  Asy- 
lum. 

Ohio  Asylum,  No.  1. 

Ohio  Asylum,  No.  2. 

g 
~  . 

of.     QO 

"S  | 

2 

1-d 

"—  <     o 

"o  £ 

"S 

9 

CL     • 

ST  OQ 

<~  § 
c  e 

E 

P.  • 

00     °° 

B 

15  s 

£ 
"g-tj 
1 

'3 
o 

&l 

t*-i    CJ 

o  fl 

CO 

1 

tn    OJ 

X 

E 

'S^ 

0 

to 

1^ 

o 

to 

to 

0 

to 

1 

to 

O 

to 

^l"3 

22 

0 

21 

1 

6 

4 

16 

2 

21 

1 

From  the  above  exposition,  we  feel  warranted  in  concluding  that  dichophy  is  not  one  of 
the  effects  of  madness  upon  the  hair. 

The  hairs  of  the  lower  animals  are  seldom  found  furcated.  The  bristles  of  the  hog  are, 
however,  notable  exceptions;  they  are  always  furcated. 

Of  the  cause  of  Dichophy. — Some  writers  attribute  the  furcation  of  pile  to  disease,  of 
either  the  animal  or  of  the  integument.  The  hairs  of  lepers  are  said  always  to  be  furcated. 
(Diet,  de  Sci.  Med.,  v.  43,  p.  489  ;  and  see  Lib.  of  Useful  Knowledge,  of  1S41,  p.  55.) 

Furcation  may  be  owing,  sometimes,  to  a  deficiency  of  nutriment  to  support  hair  allowed 
to  grow  very  long.  According  to  the  French  physicians,  pile  is  nourished  and  increased 
in  length  by  a  portion,  only,  of  the  fluid  that  enters  into  the  stalk,  the  residue  being  con- 
stantly thrown  off.  (See  Nou.  Treat,  sur  la  laine  par  lotemps  and  Fabry.)  This  would 
account  for  the  hair  of  the  Chinese  and  of  some  American  Indians,  being  furcated ;  for  I 
have  Chinese  hair  four  feet  long,  and  several  specimens  of  American  Indians  that  measure 
two  feet  in  length,  all  furcated.  Bichat  notices  the  occasional  splitting  of  hairs,  but  is 
silent  as  to  the  cause.  And  Bakewell,  whose  experience  in  regard  to  fleece  was  great, 
speaks  of  wool  sometimes  bi-furcating,  but  does  not  say  why  it  does  so. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  discourage  cleanliness;  but  we  cannot  help  thinking  that  too 
frequent  washing  the  hair  of  the  head,  especially  if  soap  is  used,  will  make  it  harsh,  and 
cause  its  ends  to  furcate.  Perhaps  it  would  be  as  well,  after  bathing,  to  substitute  a  small 
quantity  of  castor  oil  for  the  natural  fatty  matter  of  the  hair,  which  the  soap  decomposes. 

OF  BRANCHED  PILE. — A  medical  friend  residing  in  the  interior  of  this  state,  sent  us 
some  (so  called)  "branched  hair."  As  it  is  as  fair  a  specimen  of  this  variety  of  pile  as  we 
ever  expect  to  possess,  we  procured  the  following  drawing  to  be  made.  (See  fig.  40.) 
"o."  represents  the  posterior  extremity,  where  "  J"  and  "c"  appear  to  be  two  separate 
shafts,  emerging  from  one  common  button  ;  "  J,"  a  branch  from  "Z»;"  and  "  e,"  a  branch 
from  "c."  We  placed  the  specimen  in  tepid  water,  when  it  separated  into  four  distinct 
shafts,  and  explained  the  phenomenon. 

Of  the  Cortex  of  Pile. — There  is  a  squamose  or  paved  covering  upon  each  filament  of 
of  pile,  called  the  cortex.  The  scales  of  the  squamose  varying  very  much  in  number, 
shape,  size  and  degree  of  adhesion  to  the  fibrous  portion  of  the  shaft,  and  often  exercising 
a  very  great  influence  upon  the  integument. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  37 

Fourcoy  first  remarked  that  a  hair,  when  rolled  between  the  fingers,  always  passes  from 
the  button  to  the  apex;  this  he  attributed  to  the  presence  of  scales,  which  had  not  then 
been  seen.*  Mr.  Youatt  first  saw  these  scales  upon  wool,  and  Dr.  Goring  first  saw  them 
upon  the  hair  of  the  head  of  man.  So  far  as  we  know,  Prof.  Dungleson  is  the  only  one 
in  the  United  States,  (except  ourselves,)  who  has  seen  these  hair  scales. 

Of  the  Scales. — The  study  of  the  scales  is  very  interesting  in  a  scientific  point  of  view; 
and,  since  it  has  been  demonstrated,  that  on  wool  they  are  the  main  cause  of  the  felting 
and  fulling  property,  they  have  become  still  more  so  in  an  economical  one. 

Figure  2  represents  these  scales  as  they  are  found  upon  hair  and  wool ;  and  figure  42 
shows  a  portion  of  the  cortex  that  has  no  scales,  but  is  paved  ;  these  ought  to  be  examined 
and  compared  by  those  who  wish  to  understand  the  nature  of  the  cortex. 

Of  the  Uses  of  the  Scales  on  Pile  to  the  Animal. — It  is  probable  that  the  scales  on  the 
cortex  of  pile,  by  polarizing  the  rays  of  light,  may  contribute  to  the  variation  in  the  color 
or  shade  of  the  coats  of  some  of  the  lower  animals.  By  their  form  and  number  they  are 
nicely  adapted  to  admit  to  the  interior  of  the  filament  just  as  much  air  and  moisture  as  is 
necessary  for  the  growth  of  pile,  excluding  the  remainder  which  might  prove  injurious.  In 
this  latter  respect  they  may  be  to  the  cortex  what  stomatee  are  to  the  cuticle  of  plants ; 
and,  like  them,  they  may  be  endowed  with  the  power  of  opening  and  closing,  according 
to  circumstances ;  but  we  acknowledge  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  detect  such  a 
motion.! 

Ribbons  of  scaly  cortex  may  be  artificially  separated  from  the  body  of  the  pile,  to  be 
viewed  as  transparent  objects  under  the  microscope.  Figure  43  represents  one  of  these 
from  the  spine  of  the  pecary. 

The  scales  may  be  detached  from  the  cortex  by  concentrated  sulphuric  acid. 
The  cortex  is  sometimes  the  seat  of  the  coloring  matter,  as  will  be  explained  under 
that  head. 

Of  the  Paved  Cortex. — We  use  this  word  "paved,"  in  the  description  of  this  variety  of 
cortex  upon  the  authority  of  Prof.  Dungleson,  who,  in  describing  Epithelium,  introduces 
the  words,  "  paved  and  tesselated."  (See  p.  108  of  Hum.  Phys.,  fig.  23.)  We  prefer  the 
word  "  paved,"  because  "  tesselated,"  from  its  derivation,  might  imply  that  the  divisions 
are  all  squares,  whereas  some  of  them  are  pentag'ons,  hexagons  and  polygons.  They  are 
not  scales — do  not  lap  one  over  the  other ;  but  are  mere  divisions  of  the  cortex,  into  angular 
portions  like  a  paved  or  tesselated  floor.  See  fig.  44,  for  an  illustration. 

Examples  of  the  Paved  Cortex. — (See.  fig.  34.) — In  the  order  "  Ruminantia,"  in  the 
Section  •'  Horned,"  the  Tribe  "  Solid  and  deciduous  horns,"  is  found  one  single  genus,  the 
"  Stag,"  (Cervus,)  which  is  divided  into  five  species,  viz: — 

*  This  experiment  may  be  best  repeated  by  rolling  two  hairs  between  the  fingers  in  opposite  directions. 

t  Roget,  (in  his  Anat.  Veg.  Physi.,  1  v.,  p.  68,)  says  that  it  is  evident  from  the  functions  the  stomatse  perform,  that  they 
must  occasionally  open  and  close  ;  but  the  minuteness  of  their  size  precludes  any  accurate  observation  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
apparatus,  &c. 


38  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

1.  Stag  or  Deer,  Cervus  elephus.  French: — Cerf  common  C.  de  Canada. 

2.  Fallow  Deer,  Cervus  dama.  "  le  daim. 

3.  Roe  Buck,  Cervus  capreolus.  "  le  chevreuil. 

4.  Elk  or  Moose  Deer,  Cervus  alces.  1'elan. 

5.  Reindeer,  Cervus  tarandus  "  "                    le  renrie. 

fElem.  de  Zoology.} 

Goodrich,  in  his  Geography,  enumerates  the  following  species  in  the  United 
States,  viz: — 

1.  The  American  Elk,  or  Wapiti,  C.  Strongyloceros. 

2.  The  Moose,  C.  alces  Americanus. 

3.  The  Caribou,  or  American  Reindeer,  C.  tarandus. 

4.  Common  Deer,  C.  Virginianus. 

5.  The  long-tailed  Deer,  C.  leucurus. 

6.  The  black-tailed  or  Mule  Deer,  C.  macrotis. 

The  tegumentary  appendages  of  all  these  species,  so  far  as  we  have  had  an  opportunity 
to  examine  them,  have  a  great  sameness  of  structure ;  sufficiently  so  to  connect  them  into 
one  group.  The  cortex  is, paved,  the  divisions  have  the  shape  of  compressed  pentagons, 
octagons  and  polygons ;  the  coloring  matter  lies  immediately  beneath  the  cortex,  the  centre- 
being  colorless,  and  the  shaft  having  no  canal ;  the  button  is  spindle-shaped,  succeeded  by 
a  slender  neck,  the  shaft  is  feebly  flexible,  bending  at  right  angles;  the  ductility  very 
considerable,  but  accompanied  with  little  elasticity  or  tenacity.* 

We  will  now  give  a  particular  description  of  a  hair  of  one  of  the  species. 

1.  The  Stag  or  Deer,  Cervus  elephus. — Specimen  from  the  Western  part  of  the  State. — 
Hair. — Length,  about  2  inches;  greatest  diameter,  fa,  and  least  diameter,  T^  of  an  inch  ; 
button,  spindle-shaped ;  length,  fa  of  an  inch,  and  diameter,  T|^  of  an  inch.  Neck. — 
Length,  fa  of  an  inch;  diameter,  •%%-$  of  an  inch,  gradually  widening  to  a  stalk. f  Apex, 
gradually  tapering  to  a  point ;  color,  for  one  inch  and  -fa  white,  opaque,  gradually  darken- 
ing for  -J&0-  of  an  inch,  succeeded  by  light  brown  or  fawn  color,  and  terminating  in  black  at 
the  apex.  The  whole  stalk  is  undulated,  the  highest  waves  of  which  are  in  the  centre. 
The  interstices  between  the  paved  portions,  darker  colored  than  that  of  the  pavement ; 
flexibility  feeble,  bends  at  right  angles,  and  remains  bent.  No  central  canal. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — May  llth,   1849. — One  inch  with  170  grains  was 
deprived  of  its  undulations.     Upon  removing  this  weight  the  undulations  returned. 
With  180  grains  it  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
«       230     "  "  -fa         "  "  " 

"       240     "  «  fa         «  minus  fa 

tt       250     tt  tt  _^         tt  tt       tt 

••  -"III        "  "  9  «  " 

¥TT  TO 

*  Perhaps  a  large  portion  of  the  animal  vitality  conveyed  to  the  exterior  is  expended  on  the  horns. 

t  When  the  part  that  widens  is  observed  on  its  flat  sides,  the  paved  cortex  is  seen  on  it;  while  on  the  elipsoids  the  cortex 
appears  plain. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  39 

With  320  grains  it  stretched  J-g-  of  an  inch,  minus  ^ 

o30  (J|y  ,,,, 

"       340      "  ^  11 

"       350     "  "  I-;          "  "       ft 

'•       360     "  "  ff          "  "       f# 

u         oyn       <.  (i  :i  :  «  "  so. 

0  '  u  90  9~  0 

"          '3WO        "  "  4  0  "  "  n  8 

0«U  y „  „ „ 

•  •  H'J  I         •  •  ii  A   ~>  "  <•  •!  5 

4bU  ,,  „  ¥U 

"        4-Sfl       "  "  r'  °  "  "          4  " 

~§~5  90 

"       490     " 

OF  THE  PAVED  CORTEX  OF  THE  ELK. — (See  fig.  44.)  —  Of  the  Hairs  of  the  Elk,  or 
Moose  Deer. — (C.  alces.) — Specimen  from  the  Zoological  Institute,  of  Philadelphia.  The 
Elk  has  three  varieties  of  pile: — 1st.  The  Hairs  of  the  Breast. — Length,  6  to  65  inches; 
diameter,  from  -J^-  to  T|^ths  of  an  inch;  undulated;  highest  waves  in  the  centre  of  the 
stalk;  number  of  waves,  25;  flexibility,  feeble;  when  bent  forms  a  right  angle,  and 
remains  in  that  position;  button,  spindle-shaped,  succeeded  by  a  tapering  neck;  both 
transparent ;  shaft,  opaque,  commencing  at  the  inferior  extremity  with  light  stone  color, 
which,  after  continuing  for  an  inch,  becomes  light  brown,  gradually  darker  to  the  apex; 
cortex,  paved;  compressed  pentagons,  of  a  light  shade,  with  darker  interstices;  apex, 
pointed. 

2d.  Hairs  of  the  Body. — Length,  2  inches;  diameter,  JT  of  an  inch  to  -j^  of  an  inch; 
undulated ;  color,  white,  opaque,  passing  into  stone-color,  and  ending,  at  the  apex,  in  light 
brown;  flexibility,  feeble;  when  bent  forms  a  right  angle,  and  remains  in  that  position; 
button,  spindle-shaped,  succeeded  by  a  narrow  neck,  both  of  which  are  transparent;  cortex, 
paved ;  compressed  pentagons,  with  interstices  of  a  darker  shade. 

Sometimes  the  coloring  matter  may  be  seen  through  the  cortex,  but  it  is  not  in  a  central 
canal,  but  in  confused  masses  of  various  shades. 

The  wool  of  this  pile  seems  to  be  formed  of  distinct  sections ;  apex,  pointed. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — It  took  270  grains  to  deprive  it  of  its  undulation. 
With  670  grains  it  stretched  -J^th  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"       840       "  "  — 2—  "  " 

870       "  "          /tf  "  " 

970       "  "          -g-%  "  " 

"    1,170      "         broke. 

This  hair  is,  by  this  experiment,  much  changed  in  shape. 

THE  PILE  OF  THE  DICRANOCERUS  AMERICANUS,  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN,  AMERICAN,  OR  LONG- 
HORNED  ANTELOPE. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof  Samuel  S.  Haldeman. 

Hair  of  the  Flank. — Length,  about  3  inches;  shape,  imperfect,  oval* ;    color,  white; 

*  Care  must  be  taken  in  fixing  this  hair  so  as  to  cut  a  perfect  disk,  as  the  filament  is  so  flexible  that  it  can  be  pressed 
into  artificial  shapes. 

10 


•10  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM: 

lustre,  considerable;  direction,  straight;  undulated;  button,  spindle-shaped,  succeeded  by 
a  neck;  shaft,  cortex  paved,  divided  into  compressed  pentagons,  not  well  defined. 

Exception. — The  cortex  of  the  hair  of  the  Sloth,  does  not  appear  to  be  either  scaly  or 
paved. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HAIR  OF  THE  THREE-TOED  SLOTH,  (Bradypus  tridactylis.)— 
Specimen  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  of  Philadelphia.  Length,  2  inches  and 
j^ths  of  an  inch;  color,  dirty  whitish-br  wn  stone  color,  which,  when  viewed  under  the 
microscope,  is  found  to  be  a  mechanical  mixture  of  irregular  portions  of  the  cortex,  some 
of  which  are  dirty  white,  and  others  brown  color.  Button,  white,  transparent,  spindle- 
shaped ;  length,  Tj¥  of  an  inch;  diameter,  ^  of  an  inch;  sheath,  white,  opaque, 
encompassing  and  adhering  to  the  button ;  shaft,  neck,  cylindrical,  naked,  white,  opaque 
and  translucent;  length,  ^ths  of  an  inch;  diameter,  ¥^-ff  of  an  inch,  gradually  tapering 
from  the  centre  both  ways.  Body,  length,  1  inch  T9oths  ;  flat;  greatest  diameter,  (which  is 
at  the  distance  of  1  inch  and  -j^ths  from  the  neck,)  Jffth  of  an  inch,  gradually  tapering 
both  ways  to  a  diameter  of  T^otn  °f  an  'ncn-  Tn«  cortex,  of  the  color  above  stated,  of 
irregular,  inelastic,  brittle  pieces,  separated  by  dark  lines,  which  sometimes  open  into 
cracks  or  fissures,  extending  to  the  central  portion  of  the  hair.  When  the  cortex  is 
removed,  the  cylindrical,  elastic,  central  portion  is  seen  of  a  diameter  of  ^y^ths  of  an 
inch;  sometimes  a  portion  of  the  cortex  may  be  removed,  leaving  the  remainder  adhering 
to  the  central  portion,  and  presenting  a  rugged  outline.  At  others,  the  central  portion 
obtrudes  from  beneath  the  cortex,  exhibiting  their  fibrous  texture.  The  cortex  will  not 
divide  into  fibrils,  but  may  be  broken  into  irregular  pieces  of  white  and  brown  colors. 
The  central  part  is  divisible  into  fibrils.  Apex,  length,  -^th  of  an  inch,  naked,  cylindrical, 
transparent  and  pointed. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — One  inch  of  the  above  hair,  July  4th,  1849,  Bar. 
30,  Ther.  76,  Dew-point,  66. 

With  170  grains  it  stretched  J^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
ISO  "  « 

"       190       "  "  -fa  "  "         minus  ^ 

<•        900         u  u  10  u  a  u  3 

"§"0"  "9*0" 

"       220       "  "  U  "  "  '•        Wv 


"     24°     "  "        -B        "  "         "     TO 

"      250       "         broke. 

While  the  hair  was  under  the  stretching  operation,  the  sides  of  the  cracks  and  fissures 
of  the  cortex  separated;  and  they  closed  when  the  weight  was  removed,  which  shows  that 
the  central  substance  is  ductile  and  elastic. 

The  Wool  of  the  same  animal. — The  wool,  when  drawn  out  of  the  skin,  is  connected  in 
tufts  of  5,  7,  or  9  filaments,  held  together  by  small  portions  of  epidermis,  below  which 
a  button  is  seen,  and  sometimes  a  button  and  sheath.  Length,  from  1  inch  to  1$; 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  41 

diameter,  y^1^  of  an    inch;    button,  white,    transparent,  quill-shaped;     shra'h,  white, 
opaque;  apex,  rounded;  cortex,  is  divided  by  dark  lines;  central  portion,  yellow. 

See  fig.  45,  where  No.  1  represents  the  cortex  and  the  interior,  where  ihe  cortex 
has  been  removed;  No.  2,  the  fissure  in  the  cortex;  No.  3,  grains  of  cortex  removed  from 
the  stalk;  No.  4,  a  disk;  No.  5,  tufts  of  the  wool. 

OF  THE  INTERMEDIATE  FIBROUS  PART  OF  PILE. — Between  the  cortex  and  the  central 
portion  of  a  perfect  hair,  and  in  the  interior  of  an  imperfect  one,  is  found  a  fibrous 
substance,  constituting  the  strength  of  the  pile, 'which  next  demands  our  attention. 
Sometimes,  when  the  cortex  is  sufficiently  translucent,  these  fibres  may  be  seen  through 
it,  in  longitudinal  strife,  extending  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  shaft;  they  are  then 
most  apparent  near  the  button,  and  vanish  asyoti  approach  the  apex;  which  may,  possibly, 
be  owing  to  their  greater  attenuation  at  the  latter  place.  In  an  imperfect  hair  they  extend 
to  the  centre  of  the  shaft. 

Fig.  46  a  represents  a  hair  of  the  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  artificially  deprived  of  the  cortex, 
except  a  small  portion,  left  purposely,  for  comparison.  For  the  most  part,  the  fibres  are 
seen  in  fasciculus;  and  the  few  narrow  strips  of  the  cortex  are  identified  by  their  trans- 
verse striae.  Their  diameter  is  ^-gV<r  to  ^/JT  °f  an  inch- 
Fig.  46  b  represents  a  hair  of  a  male  white,  of  25,  the  posterior  termination  of  which 
has  been  split,  and  the  fibrils  are  seen. 

Fig  46  c  is  a  hair  of  a  person  affected  with  scrofula,  (which  was  disrupted  in  the  act  of 
drawing,)  showing  the  fibres  and  fibrils. 

Fig.  46  d  represents  the  fibres  of  a  hair  of  the  head  of  a  Choctaw  Indian,  the  cortex 
having  been  entirely  artificially  removed;  a  and  b  are  bundles  of  fibres;  c  and  d  are 
fibrils. 

Henle  says  that  the  fibrils  of  pile  arejlat;  but  we  have  never  been  able  to  determine  the 
shape.  Henle  also  savs  that  they  are  inelastic  and  brittle.  This  does  not  accord  with 
our  experience.  We  submitted  an  inch  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  our  esteemed  friend, 
Wm.  F.  Van  Amringe,  Esq.,  to  the  operation  of  the  trichometer.  It  showed  no  disposition 
to  stretch  with  a  weight  less  than  290  grains,  when  it  lengthened  Jff  of  an  inch.  With 
670  grains,  it  stretched  only  ¥2T,  and  with  820  grains,  only  -fa  of  an  inch;  but,  upon 
50  grains  being  added,  it  stretched  -fa,  and  with  50  more,  only,  it  stretched  i-fj-  of  an  inch. 

Upon  examining  .the  facture,  under  the  microscope,  after  the  manipulation  had  been 
completed,  the  cause  of  this  extraordinary  progression  was  revealed.  The  cortex  had 
parted  in  two  places,  corresponding  to  the  sudden  movements  above  noticed.  After  the 
last  fracture  of  it,  the  fibres  (being  left  to  bear  the  burthen  of  the  weights  used  in  the 
succeeding  experiments)  did  not  yield  suddenly  and  break,  as  they  ought  to  have  done, 
had  the  fibrils  been  inelastic  and  brittle,  as  Henle  teaches;  but  the  one  inch  of  hair 
gradually  elongated  to  |#  of  an  inch,  and  finally  parted  with  1,570  grains. 

OF  A  CRUSHED  HAIR. — Fig.  47  represents  a  hair  of  His  Excellency  General  Andrew 
Jackson,  artificially  crushed  so  as  to  expose  the  fibrous  construction ;  a,  the  crushed  portion, 
has  a  diameter  of  ^V  part  of  an  inch,  while  Z»,  the  hair  in  its  normal  condition,  is  only 


42  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

The  diameters  of  hair  fibres  have  been  variously  estimated;  Henlo  found  them  to  be 
-rfa-$;  Bidder,  ^Tfo^,  an<^  Burns,  -g^V^r  (See  Lond.  and  Edin.  Journal  of  Med.,  of 
1842,  p.  702. 

Of  the  further  use  of  the  fibres  of  Pile. — The  fibrous  arrangement  of  pile  is  not  only 
well  calculated  to  impart  strength  to  the  filament,  but  to  admit  of  capillary  attraction, 
thereby  furnishing  a  passage  for  such  fluids  as  are  not  confined  to  the  central  canal  of  a 
perfect  hair.  It  is  also  well  adapted  to  encircle  and  protect  the  canal  through  which  the 
coloring  matter  of  a  perfect  hair  is,  when  present,  conveyed.  With  a  high  magnifying 
power,  the  ends  of  the  fibres  may  often  be  seen,  when  examining  transverse  sections  of 
hair  cut  so  thinly  as  to  be  viewed  as  transparent  objects;  as  in  fig  48  a,  which  represents 
the  hair  of  the  head  of  Annette  Engle,  aged  11  years,  born  in  Poland,  of  Jewish  parents, 
now  in  Philadelphia,  supposed  to  be  laboring  under  incipient  plica  polinica. 

Fig.  48  />  shows  the  fibres  of  an  American  Indian's  hair.  A  disk  of  a  hair  of  the  Hybrid 
Eieu  Choate,  is  seen  at  fig.  48  c ;  and  fig.  48  d  represents  a  similar  section  of  the  hair  of 
the  head  of  the  late  Mr.  Elias  Hicks. 

OF  THE  CENTRAL  PORTION  OF  A  PERFECT  HAIR. — This  portion  of  the  stalk  of  a  perfect 
hair,  exhibits  one  of  the  three  following  appearances: — 

1.  A  central  canal,  containing  a  granulated  substance  and  pigment  cells. 

2.  A  granulated  substance,  and  no  pigment  cells. 

3.  A  void  canal.     (Henle.) 

An  imperfect  hair  has  no  central  canal. 

The  granulated  substance  consists  of  very  small,  brilliant  globules,  conglomerated  into 
clots;  they  are  oftentimes  piled  in  series  upon  series;  and  at  others,  when  less  depressed, 
appear  in  distinct  masses,  with  void  spaces  between.  (Henle.) 

Fig.  49  a  represents  the  hair  of  one  of  the  oval-haired  species,  which  has  been  made 
transparent,  in  order  to  show  the  coloring  matter  in  a  central  canal. 

Fig.  49  b  is  a  hair  of  one  of  the  cylindrical-piled  species,  which  has  undergone  the 
same  operation,  but  which  is  not  made  transparent,  because,  as  it  is  believed,  the  coloring 
matter  is  in  the  cortex,  or  in  the  cortex  and  fibres. 

Some  examples  of  the  disposition  of  the  coloring  matter  of  Pile. — One  of  the  most 
interesting  studies  in  regard  to  pile,  consists  in  the  way  in  which  the  coloring  matter  is 
disposed. 

The  examination  and  description  of  the  Hair  of  the  Dog-Faced  Monkey,  0.  2. — Quadru- 
mana  Tribe,  Monkeys  of  the  Old  World,  (Mandril.) — (Elem.  de  Zool.,  274.) — Specimen 
alive  in  the  Philadelphia  Zoological  Menagerie.  Length,  2  inches  and  ^ths;  greatest 
diameter,  ^J7  of  an  inch;  least,  rjL_  of  an  inch.  Button — shape,  conical,  with  the  largest 
part  of  the  cone  towards  the  posterior  extremity  of  the  hair,  and  very  abrupt,  or  spindle- 
shaped;  color,  white;  length,  T'|7  of  an  inch;  diameter,  -^^  of  an  inch.  Sheath,  invest- 
ing loosely  the  button  and  lower  extremity  of  the  shaft;  color,  white,  opaque ;  length,  T^ 
of  an  inch,  and  diameter,  -^-^  of  an  inch.  Follicle — had  none  to  examine.  Shaft — shape, 
oval ;  cortex,  color,  variegated,  commencing  at  the  button,  dirty-brown, — passing  into 


OH,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  43 

dark-brown,  nearly  black, — then  wax-yellow,  and  finally,  black  at  the  apex;  the  whole 
ornamented  with  minute  ochreons-colored  dots  and  lines;  the  shade  of  darkness  of  tl.e 
filament  depending  upon  the  number  of  these  dots  and  lines.  Transverse  striae,  minute 
and  irregular.  Intermediate  fibres,  white  and  transparent,  but  marked  with  dots  and 
lines  like  the  cortex.  The  centre,  solid  and  white;  no  canal.  A  disk  or  tranverse  section 
shows  an  oval,  dark-yellow  figure,  with  a  small,  solid,  white  centre.  Apex,  abrupt,  and 
often  furcated. 

The  characteristics  of  this  hair  are : — 1st,  the  variety  of  color  upon  the  same  filament; 
2d,  its  peculiar  formation,  by  the  coloring  matter  being  in  the  cortex  and  jibrom  interme- 
diate substance,  and  being  disposed  in  dots  and  lines  ;  3d,  the  absence  of  a  central  canal, 
and  central  coloring  matter.  (See  fig.  50  a  and  50  b.) 

EXAMPLE  OF  THE  COLORING  MATTER  OE  THE  PILE  OF  THE  BAT. — Examination  and  De- 
scription of  the  Hair  of  the  Bat:  Vesper  tilio  Noveborensis ;  order,  Chiroptera;  family,  Vesper- 
tilionidae;  tribe,  Bat.  Specimen  sent  from  Massachusetts,  by  Dr.  H.  Wheatland,  of  Salem. 
Length,  ^  to  -^  of  an  inch;  diameter,  1  of  an  inch;  button,  a  slight  swelling  of  the 
lower  extremity  of  the  shaft  only,  with  a  pointed  termination ;  sheath,  none  discovered ; 
follicle,  none  perceptible,  after  a  rigid  search.  For  the  purpose  of  detecting  it  the  dermis 
was  separated  from  the  epidermis.  The  texture  of  the  dermis  is  lined,  that  of  the  epider- 
mis plain.  Sheath,  cortex,  squamose ;  scales,  of  that  peculiar  shape,  that  the  shaft 
appears  like  a  succession  or  series  of  minute  crucibles,  nestled  one  in  another ;  coloring 
matter,  indistinct  black ;  bands  at  the  superior  surface  of  each  crucible-shaped  figure. 
(See  fig.  50  c.)  Sometimes  the  coloring  matter  is  interrupted,  arid  at  others  it  is  entirely 
wanting.  This  last  variety  occurs  near  the  superior  termination  of  the  stalk,  which  is  the 
cause  that  the  fur  there  is,  to  the  naked  eye,  of  a  lighter  color  than  at  the  root  of  the 
filament.  Apex,  generally  very  pointed,  when  in  its  natural  state,  but  often  appears  to 
have  been  broken. 

N.  B.  We  have  a  specimen  of  hair  from  Paris,  marked  "  Foil  de  Chauve-sourie,"  which 
does  not  materially  differ  from  the  above  described. 

There  is  a]so  a  specimen  of  a  bat  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  of  Philadelphia, 
called  the  African  Bat,  in  which  the  scales  of  the  cortex  are  shaped  more  like  those  of  a 
fish.  The  coloring  matter  is  represented  in  figure  50  d. 

The  characteristics  of  the  hair  of  the  Bat,  (except  the  African,)  so  far  as  the  above  limit- 
ed examinations  and  descriptions  show,  are,  1st,  a  variety  of  color  in  the  same  filament ; 
2d,  the  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  coloring  matter  in  the  cortex  and  fibrous  matter 
being  disposed  of  in  borders  to  the  crucible-shaped  scales  or  rings;  3d,  the  absence  of 
a  central  canal  and  central  coloring  matter. 

The  disposition  of  the  coloring  matter  of  some  of  the  lower  animals  in  dots,  lines,  rings, 
&c.,  is  often  the  cause  of  optical  deception;  the  hair,  to  the  natural  eye,  appears  of  one 
uniform  color,  whereas,  when  placed  under  the  microscope,  it  appears  distinctly  to  be 
two.  For  instance,  the  hair  of  a  grey  rabbit,  when  so  examined,  is  found  to  be  composed 
of  black  rings  with  white  interstices ;  but  they  are  of  so  small  a  diameter  that  they  blend 
11 


44  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMA LIUM; 

together  and  appear  to  be  grey  to  the  unassisted  vision.  Figure  50  e  shows  some  of  these 
dispositions  of  the  coloring  matter:  a,  the  Mouse;  b,  the  Pouched  Rat  of  Kentucky;  c,  the 
Otter;  d,  the  Irish  Ermine  ;  e,  the  Ermine. 

OF  THE  COLORING  MATTER  OF  PILE. — Prof.  Robert  Hare  remarks  that  '•  None  of  the 
operations  of  nature  are  more  inscrutable,  than  those  by  which  organic  substances  are 
endowed  with  the  immense  variety  of  colors  with  which  vegetables  and  animals  are 
adorned.  The  chemist,"  he  says,  "may  know  how  to  elaborate  dyes,  to  fix  them,  by  the 
interposition  of  mordants,  to  vary  their  hues;  but.  excepting  the  influence  of  transparent 
media,  or  crystalline  structure,  in  dispersing  refracted  or  polarized  rays,  he  is  still  quite 
ignorant  of  the  differences  in  the  arrangement  of  particles  which  give  rise  to  diversity  of 
color,  or  the  mode  in  which  chemical  combinations  cause  the  various  colors  of  the  precipi- 
tates." (Compen.  419.)  Moreover,  R  as  pail  informs  us,  that  "  The  coloring  matter  of 
vegetables,  (which  acts  such  a  prominent  part  in  their  organization,)  has  been  classed, 
sometimes,  among  fatty  matters  ;  but  that  it  is,  in  fact,  a  variety  of  max."  (New  Syst.  of 
Org.  Chem.,  p.  462.)  Henle  still  considers  the  coloring  matter  of  pile  as  a  fat.  This 
learned  philosopher,  after  deploring  that  we  do  not  possess  a  better  analysis  of  hair,  in 
which  regard  should  be  paid  to  the  three  substances  which  compose  its  stalk,  adds  that, 
"According  to  those  we  possess,  hair  is  a  combination  of  fat  and  a  horny  substance  ;  the 
first  belonging  to  the  centre,  and  the  last  to  the  cortex  and  intermediate  substance.  The 
fat,"  he  says,  "maybe  extracted  by  boiling  the  hair  in  alcohol;  that  it  is,  ordinarily, 
acids,  viz  :  the  margaric  and  the  oleic."  It  has,  (he  avers,)  a  Mood-red  tinge  in  red  hair, 
greenish  grey  in  brown  hair,  and,  (according  to  Jahns,  Der.  Haarcortz,  t.  1.,  p.  49,)  white 
hair  has  a  limpid  oil.  He  concludes  that  after  the  extraction  of  the  fat,  brown  hair  becomes 
greenish  yellow.  L'Heritier  analyzed  the  hair  of  an  albino,  and  found  that  it  contains  a 
colorless  liquid  and  a  solid  white  fat.  (Traite.  de  Chem.  Path.,  616.) 

It  would  seem  from  the  foregoing  quotations,  that  this  portion  of  our  subject  is  fraught 
with  intrinsic  difficulties.  Commencing  under  such  unfavorable  circumstances,  shall  we 
be  able  to  trace  this  unknown  to  so  small  a  particle  of  matter  as  the  coloring  of  a  hair. 

The  names  given  to  coloring  matter  are  "  Chromule  and  Chlorophyl."  In  vegetables 
the  prevailing  color  is  green,  and  a  combination  of  the  black  oxide  of  manganese  and 
potash,  (which  is  white,)  gives  to  water  a  green  color.  Now  manganese  and  iron  both 
enter  into  the  composition  of  pile ;  so  that  if  hair  was  green,  we  would  experience  little 
difficulty  in  attributing  its  color  to  the  iron  and  manganese.  But  the  green  color  imparted 
to  water  by  the  manganese  and  potash,  passes  gradually  through  all  the  shades  of  the 
prism,  and  eventually  becomes  colorless  after  throwing  down  the  black  oxide  ;  which  shows 
that  the  manganese  may  enter  into  the  basis  of  the  coloring  matter  of  pile,  notwithstand- 
ing it  is  not  green.  How  is  it  in  regard  to  plants?  Their  chlorophyl,  (or  coloring  matter,) 
although  it  imparts  to  the  leaves,  a  green  color,  furnishes  to  the  Jlowers,  all  those  various 
tints,  which,  in  those  beautiful  objects,  so  much  delight  the  eye;  and  even  in  the  leaves, 
the  green  color,  at  certain  seasons,  or  under  peculiar  circumstances,  turn  yelLw,  red  and 
brown,  the  very  colors  found  in  hair.  So  Berzelius  mentions  two  substances  which  color 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ONT  PILE.  45 

bile  ;  oae  of  which,  found  in  the  bile  of  the  ox,  is  of  a  brownish-green  color.*  We  know 
that  long  continuance  in  the  dark  will  bleach  vegetables,  which  were  previously  colored ; 
and  we  have  the  authority  of  Rayer,  (in  Diseases  of  the  Skin,  p.  337,)  for  saying  that  it 
will  have  the  same  effect  upon  hair.  Should  wre  feel  disposed,  in  accordance  with  this 
reasoning,  to  attribute  the  colors  i»f  hair  to  chromule,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  say  with 
Berzclius,  that  there  are  three  kinds  of  it;  for  we  know  that,  in  the  inorganic  world,  different 
colors  are  displayed  by  the  same  matter,  according  to  the  different  degrees  of  oxygen  and 
light  that  are  present.  For  instance,  a  piece  of  iron,  by  merely  heating  it,  (i.  e.  by 
causing  it  to  absorb  oxygen  and  generate  light,)  becomes  first  yellow,  then  red  and  finally 
white,  colors  which  are  all  found  in  pile.  A  writer  in  the  Boston  Journal  of  Science, 
(v.  1,  p.  97,)  says  that  he  mixed  lime,  alumine,  silica,  soda  and  boracic  acid,  and  upon 
exposing  the  compound  to  a  strong  heat,  had  a  white  product;  this  he  ground  and  sub- 
mitted to  a  red  heat,  when  it  turned  of  that  color ;  upon  increasing  the  heat  it  became 
white  again.  These  changes  were  produced  by  heat  and  light.  Chlorophyl  has  been 
found  to  be  a  coloring  material  of  some  of  the  lower  animals  of  a  green  color. f 

From  the  whole  of  the  above  we  may  fairly  infer  that  chlorophyl  is  not  restricted  to  any 
form  of  matter,  but  belongs,  in  common,  to  inorganic  and  organic,  to  the  animal  as  well  as 
the  vegetable  commonwealth.  Vegetables  borrow  it  from  minerals  and  loan  it  to  animals. 
We  every  day  appropriate  a  quantity  of  it  in  our  food,  one  portion  colors  the  blood,  another 
the  bile,  and  a  third  dyes  the  hair.J  A  large  quantity  is  not  required,  for,  according  to 
Berzelius,  it  is  so  potent  that  all  the  foliage  of  a  large  tree  contains  but  ten  grains!  If  it 
should  be  objected  that  the  analogy  between  vegetable  matter  and  pile  is  imperfect,  inas- 
much as  vegetables  have  various  secreting  organs,  corresponding  with  the  different  colors, 
while  a  perfect  hair  has  but  one,  we  would  answer  that  all  the  coloring  matter,  however 
various  the  tints,  of  the  shell  of  a  mollusc,  is  deposited  by  the  same  mantle. 

If  we  are  correct  in  supposing  that  the  variegated  colors  of  the  golden  mole,  (Chryso- 
chloris,)  are  caused  by  the  polarization  of  light,  that  which  is  called  white  hair  is  merely 
colorless,  and  black  hair  is  opaque,  the  tints  of  hair  are  reduced  to  three ;  and,  what  is 
remarkable,  these  three  belong  to  the  modifications  of  the  three  colors  the  least  dispersed  of 
the  solar  spectrum,  viz  :  red,  orange  and  yellow. §  It  is,  therefore,  not  unphilosophical  to 

*  If  to  the  fluid  which  contains  the  yellow  coloring  matter  of  bile,  we  gradually  add  nitric  acid,  it  turns  first  blue,  then 
green,  then  violet,  then  red,  and  then  yellow  or  yellowish-brown. 

t  See  the  remarks  on  the  green  monkey. 

J  Bakewell  says  that  in  some  parts  of  Gloucestershire  the  wool  acquires  an  orange  color,  in  Hertfordshire  and  Warwick- 
shire it  is  of  a  brownish  red,  and  in  the  fens  of  Lincoln  and  Cambridge,  a  dark  blue  tint ;  each  corresponding  with  the  color 
of  the  soil.  (Essay  on  Sheep,  p.  31.) 

?  The  color  of  what  is  called  the  green  monkey  is  a  modification  of  yellow.  Mr.  Bennit  says,  the  color  is  greenish- 
yellow  above,  arising  from  the  rinying  of  the  hairs  with  various  shades  of  yellow  and  black,  but  assumes  more  of  a  dark 
grizzled  appearance  on  the  sides  of  the  body,  and  outer  sides  of  the  limbs,  which  become  gradually  darker  towards  the 
hands.  The  face,  ears,  and  naked  part  of  the  hand  are  jet  black;  the  former  is  of  a  triangular  shape,  bounded  above  the 
eyes  by  a  straight  line  of  stiff  black  hairs,  and  on  the  sides  by  spreading  tufts  of  light  hairs  with  a  yellowish  tinge,  meeting, 
in  a  point,  beneath  the  chin.  The  neck  and  chest  are  white ;  the  under  parts  of  the  body  have  a  yellowish  tinge ;  and  the 
inside  of  the  limbs  are  grey.  (See  Nat.  Lib.  Mam.,  v.  1,  Monkeys,  p.  141.)  We  also  read  of  the  blue  goat  of  the  Capo 
of  Good  Hope.  (See  Gold.  Hist,  of  Man,  &c.,  200.) 


46  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

suppose  that  the  basis  of  the  coloring  matter  of  all  pile  is  the  saint  substance  differently 
modified. 

OF  THE  SHEATH. — The  cellular  tissue,  situated  within  the  follicle  and  enveloping  the 
button  and  a  part  of  the  shaft,  at  its  posterior  extremity,  is  called  the  "sheath."  Accord- 
ing to  Henle,  it  consists  of  two  layers,  between  which  is  a  fatty  matter.  This  part  is  not 
said  to  be  formed  by  the  sinking  down  of  the  dermis,  as  the  follicle  is  said  to  be. 

The  sheath  generally  terminates  at  the  epidermis,  but  may  sometimes,  in  diseased  hairs, 
be  seen  obtruding  upon  the  shaft  of  the  hair,  above  the  epidermis,  as  in  fig.  51. 

OF  THE  FOLLICLE  OF  PILE. — The  word  "follicle,"  is  derived  from  the  Latin  "folliculus" 
(which  is  a  diminutive  of  "follis,"  a  bag,  purse  or  script,)  and  therefore  means  "a  little  sac." 

In  Anatomy  it  is  defined  to  be  "a  secreting  cavity."  (See  Diet,  of  Med.  Terms,  by 
Hoblyn.)  Prof.  Dunglison  (in  Hum.  Phys.,  41,)  says:  "Follicles,  or  crypts,  are  secretory 
organs,  shaped  like  membranous  ampullfB,  or  vesicles,  always  seated  in  the  substance  of 
one  of  the  outer  membranes  of  the  body,  the  skin,  or  the  mucous  surfaces,  and  secreting 
a  fluid  intended  to  lubricate  them."  (See  also  Dung.  Med.  Diet.,  title  "Crypta.") 

In  Botany,  "follicle"  means  a  seed-vessel,  husk,  or  cover.  "  L'envelope  membraneuse 
dans  laquelle  sont  contenue  les  graines  des  plantes  "  (Diet,  of  the  French  Academy.) 

There  is  nothing  in  its  derivation  or  terminology  to  prevent  us  from  using  this  word  as 
we  here  do,  to  mean  "a  little  sac,  in  which  the  posterior  portion  of  the  shaft  of  pile, 
with  its  button,  is  found,  when  the  pile  has  come  to  maturity;"  without  interfering  with 
the  questions  whether  it  is  secretory  or  excretory. 

This  part  of  pile  has,  sometimes,  but  very  improperly,  been  called  the  "bulb;"  for  that 
term,  (from  bulbus,)  in  Botany,  is  applied  to  the  solid  roots  of  plants  that  have  many  coats 
or  peels;  and  in  Anatomy,  it  is  applied  to  parts  that  have  the  outward  shape  of  bulbous 
roots. 

The  word  "root"  has  sometimes  been,  by  analogy,  but  very  improperly,  applied  to  this 
part  of  pile.  At  other  times  the  button  is  considered  to  be  the  root;  as,  for  example,  in 
Dunglison's  Hum.  Phys.,  103,  it  is  said,  that  "  the  roots  of  the  hair  are  in  the  form  of  bulbs, 
taking  their  origin  in  small  follicles  or  open  sacs,"  &c.  It  would  be  better  to  discontinue 
the  use  of  the  word  "root"  altogether,  as  regards  pile;  as  it  leads,  insensibly,  to  error. 

Where  the  follicle  is  found. — Professor  Dunglison  says,  that  the  consideration  of  the 
hair  belongs,  naturally,  to  that  of  the  skin;  and  this  integument  he  describes  as  consisting 
of  four  parts,  viz:  the  cuticle,  rete  mncosum,  corpus  papillare,  and  corium.  He  copies 
from  Wilson's  Hum.  Anat,  493,  a  diagram  in  which  all  these,  with  the  adipose  tissue 
(which  underlays  them  all)  are  depicted;  wherein  there  are  seen  two  hairs,  the  follicle  of 
one  is  represented  as  being  in  the  adipose  tissue,  and  the  other  below  it,  And  that  this 
did  not  arise  from  mere  inattention  in  Wilson,  we  have  a  right  to  infer  from  the  circum- 
stance that  in  the  explanatory  notes  it  is  observed,  that  in  regard  to  these  two  hairs,  enclosed 
in  their  follicles,  their  relative  depth  in  the  skin  is  preserved. 

On  the  other  hand,  Cazenave  (in  Traite  des  Mai.  de  cuir  chevelu,  1850,  p.  41,)  describes 
the  follicle  as  a  little  sac  lodged  in  the  dermis,  having  beneath  it  a  coniqxie  papilla,  which  is 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  47 

(he  says)  sometimes  called  the  pulpe  of  the  hair.  But  this  papillae  in  Wilson's  plate,  above 
referred  to,  is  situated  above  the  deeper  layer  of  the  cutis — the  corium.  Such  is  the  state 
of  uncertainty  as  to  even  the  locality  of  the  follicle. 

Through  the  politeness  of  Dr.  George  Hevvston,  of  this  city,  we  obtained  a  suit  of 
specimens  of  skins  from  different  parts  of  the  human  head,  body  and  limbs.  We  have 
made  numerous  horizontal  and  transverse  sections,  exhibiting  the  hair  follicles  in  their 
natural  positions,  from  which  we  infer  that  they  are,  for  the  most  part,  situated  in  the 
dermis,  although  occasionally  the  posterior  termination  of  them  reaches  the  adipose  tissue. 

Horv  the  Follicle  is  formed. — Prof.  Dunglison*  says,  that  the  follicle  is  formed  "by  the 
inversion  of  the  cutis,  and  is  lined  by  a  reflection  of  the  epidermis."  In  his  Medical 
Dictionary  he  makes  the  word  "  cutis"  synonymous  with  "skin;"  which,  as  we  have  seen 
above,  he  describes  as  constituted  of  four  distinct  layers;  but  we  presume  that  he  here 
means  by  cutis,  the  cutis  vera  or  corium ;  since  he  says  that  the  follicle  is  lined  by  the 
epidermis. 

That  the  follicle  is  formed  by  this  inward  turning  of  the  cutis,  is  a  very  general  opinion; 
even  Henle  asserts,  that  "it  is  a  true  inward  turning  (renversement)  of  the  dermis,  form- 
ing a  cul  de  sac,  to  receive  the  button."  But  we  believe  this  to  be  a  popular  error,  and 
shall  endeavor  to  prove  it  so  to  be. 

In  the  first  place,  we  would  inquire,  if  the  follicle  is  formed  in  the  dermis,  how  can  it 
invert  it?  It  seems  to  us  that,  in  order  to  form  this  inversion,  it  should  be  formed  above 
the  dermis ;  but  no  one  pretends  that  the  follicle  is  formed  in  the  epidermis.  To  invert 
(from  inverto)  means  to  change  or  reverse  the  natural  order  of  things ;  and  what  reason 
can  be  given  why  a  follicle,  formed  in  the  body  of  the  dermis,  should  be  made  to  change 
the  natural  order  of  this  integument?  Is  it  not  much  more  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  if 
the  follicle  belongs  to  the  dermis,  and  is  formed  therein,  that  it  should  be  formed  like  glands 
and  ducts,  without  any  inversion  ? 

But  the  difficulty  is  increased  by  the  assertion  that  the  follicle  is  not  only  formed  by  an 
inward  turning  of  the  dermis,  but  that  it  is  lined  by  a  refection  of  the  epidermis. 

How  the  epidermis,  which  is  represented  to  be  a  dry,  scaly  structure,  can  be  reflected 
or  inwardly  turned  into  each  particular  follicle  of  the  hundreds  and  thousands!  that  are 
found  in  the  dermis,  is  very  difficult  to  conceive.  What  is  it  that  causes  this  reflection  ? 
Is  it  the  button?  Then  the  button  ought  to  be  formed  above,  or  at  least  in,  the  epidermis. 
If  the  follicle  is  formed  ajter  the  button,  how  does  it  pass  that  portion  of  pile  so  as  to 
invert  it,  as  it  is  represented  to  do?  And  lastly,  the  epidermis  is  depicted  (p.  100  of 
Dunglison's  Hum.  Phys.)  with  oblique  pores,  for  the  passage  of  the  hair ;  and  that  this 
diagram  is  so  far  correct,  any  one  may  satisfy  himself  by  ocular  demonstration.  Let  him 
examine  his  forearm,  and  among  the  hairs  he  will  discover  innumerable  small  black  specks; 

*  Prof.  Dunglison's  Human  Physiology,  comprised  in  two  octavo  volumes  of  nearly  1,350  pages,  is  full  of  valuable  infor- 
mation, as  we  have  a  right  to  expect  from  a  gentleman  of  his  talents  and  learning.  All  that  he  says  upon  pile  is  comprised 
in  less  than  four  pages,  and  the  principal  part  of  that  is  copied  from  others. 

t  A  laborious  German  has  taken  the  pains  to  count  the  hairs  upon  the  human  head,  and  finds  the  following,  viz :  blonde, 
140,400;  brown,  109,440;  black,  102,962;  red,  88,740. 

12 


48  TKICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUJI; 

let  him  pick  one  of  these  with  a  needle,  and  the  end  of  a  hair  (the  body  of  which  lies 
under  the  epidermis)  will  obtrude.  With  a  pair  of  tweezers,  this  new  hair  maybe  drawn 
out  to  a  considerable  length.  In  a  section  of  the  skin  these  young  hairs  may  be  detected, 
partly  coiled,  the  apices  seeking  their  way,  as  it  were,  through  the  epidermis,  by  one  of 
these  pores.  But  all  this  is  entirely  at  variance  with  the  notion  that  the  follicle  is  formed 
by  an  inward  turning  of  the  cutis  and  is  lined  by  a  reflection  of  the  epidermis. 

Of  Pile  without  a  Follicle. — But  it  can  be  demonstrated  that  the  idea  of  the  follicle  being 
formed  by  the  turning  inwardly  of  1he  dermis  is  chimerical :  1st.  By  the  hair  of  the  head 
of  the  foetus.  We  have,  in  our  cabinet,  a  foetus  of  three  months,  upon  whose  head  is  no 
hair;  we  have  another  of  five  months,  upon  whose  head  there  are  hairs,  but  none  of  them 
have  either  button  or  follicle.*  (See  fig.  52  a.)  We  have  a  third  specimen  of  hairs  from 
a  full-grown  foetus,  which  was  taken,  dead,  from  the  body  of  a  female  obtained  for  dis- 
section. Upon  these  hairs,  also,  there  are  no  traces  of  either  button  or  follicle.  (See 
fig.  52  b.) 

These  are  specimens  of  imperfect  hairs,  and  seem  to  prove  that  pile  does  not  "take  its 
origin  in  a  follicle."  We  also  call  attention  to  fig.  53  c,  which  represents  a  curious  con- 
nection of  three  hairs  of  the  horse  "  Diligence,"  viz :  one  mane  hair  that  has  come  to 
maturity,  and  two  smnllerones,  one  of  which  appears  to  be  an  imperfect  hair,  probably 
never  having  had  a  button  or  follicle. 

But  the  suit  of  skin-specimens,  above  referred  to,  explains  this  subject  completely,  and 
puts  this  matter  entirely  at  rest.  In  ihe  various  sections  we  have  made  of  these,  the  yoiing 
hairs  that  have  not  yet  pierced  the  epidermis  may  be  traced  through  every  stage,  from  the 
cells  to  their  development. 

First  is  discovered,  in  the  dermis,  a  collection  of  dark-colored  dots,  granules,  or  cyto- 
blasts,  the  precursors  and  origin  of  the  forthcoming  hair.  (See  fig.  53  "a,") 

Secondly,  (immediately  alongside,)  is  another  collection  of  granules,  partly  enclosed  in 
the  faint  outlines  of  a  forming  hair.  Here  we  see  some  of  the  granules  passing  gradually 
into  lines  or  fibres.  (See  fig.  53  "  b.")  No  button  or  follicle  is  yet  to  be  seen. 

Thirdly,  fig.  53  c  shows  the  button  just  forming ;  the  inferior  extremity  of  it  a  faint 
outline,  while  the  granules  have  ascended  and  condensed  in  the  superior  portion  of  the 
button  and  the  inferior  extremity  of  the  shaft;  but  no  follicle  yet  appears. 

Fourthly,  fig.  53  d  represents  a  button  formed,  except  that  the  lower  extremity  is  not 
yet  closed ;  but  no  follicle  is  yet  seen. 

*  Examination  and  Description  of  ihe  hair  of  the  head  of  a  five  months  fetus,  of  one  of  the  oval-haired  species. — Specimen 
presented  by  Dr.  Joseph  Leidy,  llth  of  April,  1850.  Length,  about  2  millimeters;  shape,  oval;  diameter,  2  Of  a  milli- 
meter; color,  very  light,  translucent;  not  much  lustre;  direction,  flowing;  inclination,  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  epidermis  ; 
button,  sheath  and  follicle,  none.  The  shaft  terminates  in  the  dermis  in  a  slight  swelling,  which  exceeds,  by  J,  the  diameter 
of  the  shaft;  truncated  at  the  posterior  extremity,  and  around  which  arc  assembled  dark-colored  dots  or  grains,  in  groups 
of  various  shapes  and  sizes,  but  generally  extending  laterally  from  the  end  of  the  shaft,  and  rarely  measuring  more  than 
0  -i  of  a  millimeter.  Shaft — cortex,  squamose,  more  than  200  scales  upon  the  length  of  a  millimeter.  Intermediate 
fibres,  minute;  one  measured  the  ^1^  of  a  millimeter.  Centre — no  central  canal;  the  coloring  matter  disseminated 
throughout  the  shaft  in  lines  too  minute  for  measurement.  Apex — generally  pointed,  but  occasionally  abrupt;  none  fur- 
cated; diameter  of  the  point,  the  T7'o7r  of  a 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  49 

Fifthly,  fig.  53  e  shows  the  button  fully  developed,  and  the  follicle  just  commencing  to 
form  around  it. 

Sixthly,  fig.  5'3f  is  an  instance  where  the  follicle  is  beginning  to  form  before  the  button 
is  entirdij  developed. 

Seventhly,  fig.  53  g  shows  the  button  and  follicle,  both  formed  ;  this  hair  having  come  to 
maturity. 

In  this  specimen  the  follicle  was  white,  but  opaque ;  and,  in  order  to  make  it  transparent, 
it  was  necessary  to  crush  it,  which  has  altered  the  original  shapeof  the  follicle;  for  which 
the  reader  will  make  allowance.  The  same  of  fig.  53/1 

Some  Examples  of  Follicles  of  the  Pile  of  the  three  Species  of  Men. — Figure  54  a  repre- 
sents the  follicle  of  pile  of  the  oval-haired  species,  where  "  a,"  is  the  button;  "  i,"  the  follicle, 
and  "  c,"  a  portion  of  the  shaft,  with  the  cortex  removed,  to  expose  the  fibres. 

Figure  54  b  is  a  hair  of  the  cylindrical-piled  man;  "  a,"  is  the  button  ;  "  b,"  the  follicle  ; 
"  c,"  a  part  of  the  shaft,  and  "d,"  a  portion  of  the  tissue  disrupted  and  drawn  out. 

Figure  54  c  shows  the  pile  of  an  eccentrically  elliptical  piled  man,  where  "  a,"  is  the 
button;  "b,"  the  follicle;  "c,"  a  piece  of  the  shaft;  "d,"  a  portion  of  the  tissue,  and 
"  e,"  a  vessel.  All  these  hairs  have  arrived  at  their  full  development. 

The  Follicles  of  the  Hairs  of  Hybrids. — Figure  55  a  represents  the  hair  of  a  Hybrid, 
a  tetra  dimestisin. 

OF  THE  VITALITY  OF  PILE. — The  learned  do  not  agree  in  regard  to  the  vitality 
of  pile.  Bichat  divides  a  hair  into  two  parts,  viz  :  an  exterior  envelope,  and  an  interior 
substance.  The  former  he  considers  to  be  lifeless  and  insensible,  and  the  latter  to  enjoy 
real  vitality. 

In  the  Lond.  and  Edin.  Journ.  of  Med.  Science,  for  1841,  p.  595,  it  is  said  that  the 
vitality  of  hair  itself,  appears  to  be  proved  by  the  fact,  that  in  a  majority  of  cases  of  a  plica 
polinica,  the  matted  hair  tufts  do  not  extend  to  the  surface  of  the  scalp,  but  consist  of  groups 
of  hairs,  which  are  healthy  at  the  base,  and  are  implanted  in  healthy  bulbs  [follicles.]  But 
our  examination  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  Annette  Engles,  (who  was  laboring  under 
incipient  plica  polinica,)  shows  that  the  button  also  is  diseased.* 

It  has  also  been  asserted  that  if  the  shaft  of  the  hair,  in  plica  polinica,  is  cut,  it  will 
bleed.  But  both  Mechel  and  Halle r  deny  this  assertion,  and  I'Heretier,  (who  analysed  the 
substance  which  oozes  out  of  this  diseased  hair,)  found  it  to  be  only  an  ammoniacal  soap.-\ 
(See  Trait,  de  Chem.  Path.,  p  616.) 

Ellisten  (in  Hum.  Phys.,  p.  277,)  states,  that  in  the  disease  Phrenitis,  the  hair  is 
sensible  to  the  slightest  touch.  But  this  might  be,  were  the  hair  itself  insensible,  but  were 
connected,  (through  its  follicle,)  with  delicate  nerves.  A  friend  of  ours  sometimes  suffers 
from  severe  attacks  of  Neuralgia  in  the  scalp  :  and  in  the  intervals  of  these  attacks,  the 

•  See  Charleston  Med.  Rev.  and  Jour.,  v.  vi.,  307. 

t  See  Youatt  in  Essay  upon  Sheep,  Lib.  of  Usf.  Know.,  p.  CO,  and  Luccock  on  Sheep,  p.  81,  and  An.  do  Cliem.  An., 
xi.,  No.  141. 


50  THICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

slightest  touch  of  the  hair  is  often  sufficient  to  cause  violent  pain,  which  seems  to  be  in  the 
hair  itself,  but  the  sufferer,  (who  is  very  intelligent,)  has  no  doubt  of  its  being  confined  to 
the  scalp. 

OF  VESSELS. — In  the  course  of  our  pile  manipulations  we  have  often  encountered  small 
threads,  which  may  be  vessels  or  nerves,  but  which  are  too  small  to  be  identified  under  the 
microscope  ;  some  of  these  are  attached  to  the  posterior  portion  of  the  button,  when  drawn 
out,  and  others  upon  the  same  part  of  the  follicles,  obtained  by  dissection  or  maceration. 

Figure  56  represents  a  hair  of  the  oval-haired  species,  with  a  button  somewhat  deviating 
from  the  normal  shape,  but  with  small  portions  of  four  threads  disrupted  in  the  drawing. 

Figure  24,  which  represents  a  hair  of  the  pavilion  of  the  external  ear,  shows  threads. 
So  does  figure  29,  which  represents  a  hair  of  the  axillae.  Figure  31,  which  represents  the 
hair  of  the  forearm,  exhibits  a  thread,  (see  "a.")  The  same  may  be  said  of  figure  55,  "e." 

Note. — In  the  drawings  of  hairs,  in  Wilson's  Human  Physiology,  it  is  represented  that 
each  filament  has  two  sebaceous  glands  opening  by  short  ducts,  one  on  each  side  thereof; 
but  we  have  not  found  them  in  place. 

From  all  which,  we  agree  with  Henle  that  common  hairs,  (by  which  term  he  excludes 
the  whiskers  of  the  lower  animals,)  although  insensible  themselves,  because  they  are  desti- 
tute of  nerves,  are  in  connection,  through  their  roots,  with  a  tissue  rich  in  nerves  and 
sanguiferous  vessels.  (See  Gen.  Anat.,  v.  1.,  ch.  iv.,  p.  300.*) 

As  the  hair  subsists  from  vessels,  so  they  are  influenced  by  the  vital  force  and  health  of 
the  individual ;  so  that  when  we  see  a  head  thickly  covered  with  strong,  richly  colored, 
lustrous  hair,  we  may  predict,  that  the  person  is  in  good  health;  but  when  the  hair  is 
weak,  sparse,  dull  shades  of  color  and  devoid  of  lustre,  we  may  as  surely  pronounce,  that 
there  exists  some  bodily  infirmity,  or  that  there  is  a  diseased  state  of  the  system. 

OF  THE  SECRETION  OF  PILE. — Admitting  that  there  is  no  vitality  in  the  shaft  of  a 
common  hair,  still  it  may  be  an  organ  of  secretion.  The  pile  of  a  healthy  person  is  almost 
always  annointed,  as  it  were,  with  an  oleagenous  substance ;  which  is  believed  to  be  of 
that  character.  In  that  dreadful  disease,  milk  sickness,  the  hair  sometimes  drops  out,  and 
in  proof  that  the  virus  enters  into  the  body  of  the  filament,  Bowyer  assures  us  that  it  has 
been  detected  in  hair  and  wool,  ajter  they  have  been  cleansed,  in  the  usual  manner,  and 
have  been  woven  into  cloth.  Prof.  John  K.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  is  of  opinion  that  this  class  of 
diseases  is  caused  by  poisonous  fungi,  one  variety  of  which  resides  inside  of  the  follicle, 
between  its  walls  and  the  button,  and  that  it  ascends  to  the  epidermis.  (See  Mitchell  on 
Fevers,  p.  65  to  67.)  And  Mr.  Youatt  says  that  what  is  termed  the  yolk  of  sheep's  wool, 
is  a  secretion. 

*  See  Youatt  in  Essay  on  Sheep,  Lib.  of  Usf.  Know. 


CHAPTER   II. 


Fiy.25 


Fiy.  25-2 


FJa. 


F10.Z7. 


(3) 


PLATE   II. 


Fitf.30. 


Fiqr  33 


Fia.3t-l 


F-iy.tf-a,. 


FiqZl.b 


PLATE   III. 


Fig.  'J&-a. 


Fitt.Xt 


< 


(5) 


PLATE   IV. 


(6) 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  51 


CHAPTER     III. 

OF  A  PERFECT  HAIR. — Eble  is  of  opinion  that  the  most  perfect  hair  is  the  whisker  of 
some  of  the  lower  animals,  such  as  the  seal,  the  lion,  the  rabbit,  &c. ;  but  we  (considering 
these  whiskers  as  organs  of  touch)  place  the  hair  of  the  scalp  of  the  white  man,  as  regards 
perfection,  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  piles. 

OF  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PILE  OF  THE  HUMAN  HEAD. — These  are  the  shape  or 
form,  the  ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity,  the  direction,  and  the  inclination,  &c.,  &c. 

Of  the  Shape  or  Form  of  Pile  of  the  Human  Bead. — The  greatest  number  that  have 
come  under  our  notice,  are  either  cylindrical,  oval  or  eccentrically  elliptical ;  we  therefore 
call  these  the  general  forms  of  these  piles. 

Explanation  of  these  Terms. — A  cylinder,  (from  Kulindreo,)  is  a  body  formed  by  the 
rotation  of  a  parallelogram  about  its  own  sides.  If  a  cylinder  be  cut  by  a  plane  parallel 
to  its  base,  the  section  will  be  a  circle,  equal  to  the  base. 

When  a  transverse  section  of  a  filament  of  pile  presents  this  circle,  we  call  the  pile 
"  cylindrical."  An  oval,  from  ovum,  an  egg,  is  a  curvilinear  oblong  figure. 

When  a  transverse  section  of  a  filament  of  pile  presents  a  curvilinear  oblong  figure,  the 
greatest  diameter  of  which  is  \  more  than  its  smallest,  we  call  the  pile  "  oval " 

When  a  transverse  section  of  a  filament  of  pile  presents  a  curvilinear  oblong  figure,  the 
greatest  diameter  of  which  is  f  more  than  its  smallest,  we  call  the  pile  "  eccentrically 
elliptical ." 

EXAMPLES  OF  THE  THREE  GENERAL  FORMS. 

Fig.  57.  C 


Of  the  Particular  Forms. — But  there  are  other  shapes,  less  frequently  met  with,  viz: 
the  cylmdroidal,  the  lesser  ovoidal,  the  greater  ovoidal,  and  the  eccentrically  elliptoidal, 
to  which  we  give  the  name  of  "  the  particular  forms  of  pile." 
13 


TRICIIOLOQIA  MAMMALIUM; 


Fig.  58. 


In  this  figure,  A,  B  and  C,  represent,  respectively,  the  cylindrical,  the  oval,  and  the 
eccentrically  elliptical,  as  in  the  previous  one.  "a,"  marks  a  line  half  way  between  the 
cylinder  and  the  oval.  The  pile  belonging  to  this  space,  called  "  cylindroidal"  have  a 
form  where  one  diameter  exceeds  the  other  by  less  than  |.  All  pile  belonging  to  the 
other  half  of  the  distance  between  the  cylinder  and  the  oval,  viz :  whose  greatest  diameter 
exceeds  that  of  its  smallest  ^,  but  does  not  reach  the  f,  are  called  the  "lesser  ovoidal.'''' 
"  b,"  marks  a  line  equi-distant  between  the  oval  and  the  eccentrically  elliptical.  All  pile 
on  the  oval  side  of  this  line,  having  its  greatest  diameter  more  than  f  of  its  smallest,  but 
less  than  f,  we  call  "greater  ovoidal ;"  and  all  pile  on  the  other  side  of  that  line,  where  the 
greatest  diameter  exceeds  its  smallest  by  more  than  f ,  but  by  less  than  |,  we  call  eccentrically 
elliptoidal.  These  dimensions  have  been  explained,  because  they  include  all  those  known 
to  belong  to  the  hair  of  the  human  head.  For  practical  purposes,  it  is  not  often  necessary 
to  regard  any  more  than  the  three  general  forms;  throwing  the  " oidals"  into  the  classes 
from  which  they  are  derived. 

To  whom  they  belong. — The  next  step  is  to  show  to  whom  piles  of  these  dimensions 
belong. 

A  is  a  representation  of  the  shape  of  a  hair  of  the  head  of  a  full-blood  Choctaw  Indian 
of  60  years  of  age,  specimen  presented  by  Dr.  Nott,  of  Mobile.  The  original  is  black, 
straight,  lank,  and  has  a  diameter  of  ^{T  of  an  inch. 

B  is  a  representation  of  the  shape  of  a  hair  of  the  head  of  his  Excellency  General 
George  Washington ;  the  original  is  colorless  and  flowing,  and  has  for  its  greatest  diameter 
-§{2,  and  its  least,  •%%-$  of  an  inch. 

C  is  a  representation  of  the  shape  of  a  filament  of  wool  of  the  head  of  a  pure  negro;  the 
original  is  black,  crisped  and  frizzled  and  spirally  curled,  and  has  for  its  greatest  diameter 
3-|¥,  and  for  its  least,  ^^  of  an  inch. 

The  principal  reason  why  hairs  have  been  misrepresented  in  regard  to  shape,  is  the  diffi- 
culty of  ascertaining  it  in  the  way  they  have  hitherto  been  examined.  A  hair  is  placed 
horizontally  between  two  pieces  of  glass  and  examined  under  the  microscope;  bxit  it  is 
exceedingly  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  determine  whether  it  is  cylindrical  or  oval. 
Even  if  it  is  found  that  the  diameters,  in  different  parts,  differ,  you  are  at  a  loss  to  attribute 
this  discrepancy  to  the  shaft  being  oval  or  to  tapering.  But  we  have  a  machine  with 


OU,  A  TREATISE  ON   PILE.  53 

which  we  cut  transverse  sectioiis  or  disks  of  pile,  thereby  completely  obviating  the  diffi- 
culty. 

Transverse  Sections. — Figure  57  A  is  a  representation  of  such  a  transverse  section  of 
the  hair  of  the  head  of  the  Choctau-  Indian.  Figure  57  B  is  a  representation  of  such  a 
transverse  section  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  his  Excellency  General  Washington. 

The  same  difficulty  does  not  exist  to  the  same  extent,  in  examining  pile  that  is  eccentrically 
elliptical;  for  if  a  spiral  curl  of  this  description  is  placed  between  two  pieces  of  glass,  and 
moderately  pressed,  a  part  of  it  will  exhibit,  under  the  microscope,  the  thin  edge  of  the  ellipse, 
and  another  portion  will  represent  one  of  the  flattened  sides.  Figure  58  is  a  representation  of 
a  single  filament  of  a  spiral  curl  of  a  pure  negro  head. 

OF  DUCTILITY,  FLEXIBILITY,  ELASTICITY  AND  TENACITY  OF  PILE. — Ductility  is  that 
property  of  matter  which  allows  of  its  being  stretched  or  extended  in  length,  iipon  the  appli- 
cation of  force  or  power,  whether  mechanically  or  chemically  applied.  Flexibility  is  that 
which  allows  of  its  being  bent,  or  moved  in  a  lateral  direction.  Flexibility  is  always 
accompanied  by  ductility  on  one  side  of  the  thing  bent,  and  elasticity  on  the  other  side. 
Elasticity  is  the  spontaneous  returning  to  its  original  dimensions  and  juxtaposition  of  its 
particles,  after  the  thing  stretched  or  bent  has  been  relieved  from  the  force  or  chemical 
action.  It  depends  upon  a  law  in  regard  to  the  natural  arrangement  of  the  particles  of 
matter,  under  which  they  exert  a  tendency  to  return  to  their  normal  juxtaposition,  after 
having  been  partially  separated  ;  a  tendency  which  pre-eminently  distinguishes  solids 
from  fluids;  which  latter,  conform  to  no  such  law.  Elasticity  does  not  belong,  exclusively, 
to  vitality;  for  it  is  traced  to  some  minerals,  as  the  elastic  bitumen,  &c.,  &c.  It  is  found 
in  the  fibres  of  some  plants,  and  remains  there  after  their  vitality  has  been  destroyed. 
Tenacity  is  the  adherence  of  the  particles  of  matter,  constituting  strength.  Tenacity  may 
be  accompanied  by  ductility,  flexibility  and  elasticity,  or  it  may  not.  When  it  is,  the 
substance  is  said  to  be  tough,  when  it  is  not,  it  is  brittle. 

Essential  Properties. — Ductility,  flexibility,  elasticity  and  tenacity  are  the  properties  of 
pile,  with  such  few  (if  any)  exceptions,  that  they  are  deemed  to  be  essential. 

Of  some  supposed  exceptions  to  the  Rule. — The  properties  of  ductility,  elasticity  and 
tenacity,  are  in  the  Jibrous  portion  of  the  filament  of  pile,  as  we  stated  in  a  previous 
Chapter. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  hair  of  the  three-toed  Sloth  (Brady pus  tridactilis)  is 
destitute  of  ductility  and  elasticity,  but  it  is  so  only  in  a  degree;  for  one  inch  of  the  hair 
of  this  animal,  with  240  grains,  stretched  -!••£  of  an  inch,  showed  a  loss  of  elasticity  of  -^ 
with  240  grains,  and  was  fractured  with  a  weight  of  250  grains.  The  cortex  is  irregular 
and  inelastic ;  separates  into  amorphous  brittle  pieces,  but  will  not  divide  into  fibrils. 
Sometimes  the  shaft  has  deep  fissures.  The  central  portion  is  fibrous,  the  fibres  having  a 
diameter  of  -%fa  of  an  inch.  (See  ante,  fig.  45.) 

The  hairs  of  those  animals  that  have  a  paved  cortex  bend  at  a  right  angle,  remain  in 
that  position,  and  also  tie  in  a  closed  knot,  (which  is  not  the  case  with  common  hairs,)  but 


54  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

they  are  not  brittle.  One  of  these  (Cervus  elephns)  has  hair  which  stretches  |  f  of  an  inch 
with  a  weight  of  480  grains;  retains  its  entire  elasticity  after  stretching  -/^  with  230 
grains;  loses  ±$  with  480  grains,  and  fractures  with  490  grains. 

The  hair  of  the  Mnsk  (Moschus  pigmseus  of  Lin.)  is  said  to  be  brittle.  (See  Elem.  de 
Zool.,  p.  463.)  We  have  no  specimen  in  our  cabinet. 

Dr.  Gross  tells  of  a  lady,  the  hair  of  whose  head,  without  any  assignable  cause,  became 
so  brittle  that  it  broke  off  in  locks,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  beyond  the  epidermis. 

Of  the  endurance  of  the  essential  properties  of  Pile. — Long  separation  from  the  head 
or  body  of  an  animal  may  impair,  but  does  not  destroy,  ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity 
of  pile. 

We  have  a  lock  of  hair  of  the  head  of  Prof.  Benjamin  Silliman,  cut  when  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  another  cut  when  he  was  over  seventy.  The  greatest  that  one  inch  of  a 
hair  of  the  former  stretches  is  (with  1,320  grains)  ffths  of  an  inch.  The  latter  (with 
1,770  grains)  stretches  |fths.  The  former  retains  its  entire  elasticity  at  ff,  with  1,120 
grains.  The  latter  retains  its  entire  elasticity  at  ^,  with  970  grains.  The  former  loses 
|^  of  its  elasticity  with  1,770  grains.  The  latter  loses  if-  of  its  elasticity  with  1,320  grains. 
The  former  breaks  with  1,320  grains,  and  the  latter  with  1,820. 

The  hair  of  His  Excellency  Gen.  Washington  had  been  upwards  of  fifty  years  severed 
from  his  head  when  examined,  yet  it  stretched  |f  with  933  grains,  and  broke  with  1,123. 

The  hair  of  the  Hon.  John  Sergeant  has  been  cut  thirty  years  and  more,  yet  it  stretches 
|f  with  710  grains,  and  breaks  with  720. 

The  Peruvian,  Mexican  and  Brazilian  mummy  hairs  (which  are  supposed  to  be  from 
2,500  to  3,000  years  old)  stretch  and  bear  considerable  weight.  (See  Table.)  And  lastly, 
we  have  some  of  the  hair  of  the  Mammoth,  found  enveloped  in  ice  near  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Lena,  in  Siberia,  which,  with  4,029  grains,  stretched  -/$  of  an  inch,  and  broke 
with  4,669.* 

*  An  Examination  of  the  Hair  of  the  Siberian  Mammoth,  found  enveloped  in  ice,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Lena,  in  Siberia. 
Specimen  presented  by  Eobert  W.  Gibbs,  M.  D.,  of  Columbia,  South  Carolina. 

Our  readers  will  recollect  that  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1799,  a  native  fisherman  of  Tungusia,  who  was  in  the  habit 
of  collecting  tusks  from  among  the  blocks  of  ice  and  rubbish  which  fell  from  the  cliffs,  and  were  found  on  the  banks  of  Lake 
Oncoul,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Lena,  saw,  projecting  from  a  great  height,  a  mass  of  unusual  form,  but  of  shapeless 
appearance.  The  year  after,  proceeding  to  his  usual  haunt,  he  noticed  that  this  lump  was  somewhat  disengaged  and  had 
two  projecting  parts;  and,  towards  the  summer  of  1801,  when  he  again  looked  at  it,  he  found  that  it  consisted  of  the  whole 
side  of  a  gigantic  animal,  having  large  tusks,  one  of  which  projected  from  the  ice. 

But  so  slowly  do  changes  take  place  in  this  ice-bound  district,  that  the  next  summer  being  rather  colder  than  the  preceding, 
no  material  alteration  was  noticed.  In  1803,  a  part  of  the  ice  between  the  earth  and  this  monster  was  somewhat  more 
melted,  and  at  length  the  whole  mass  fell,  by  its  own  gravity,  upon  a  bank  of  sand.  Next  year,  in  the  month  of  March,  the 
fisherman  cut  off  the  tusks,  which  he  disposed  of  for  fifty  roubles,  equal  to  about  $40  of  our  money.  Two  years  after  this, 
and  the  seventh  after  the  first  discovery,  these  distant  and  deserted  regions  were  traversed  by  Mr.  Adams,  an  employee  of 
the  Court  of  Russia,  and  his  account  of  the  sequel  is  sufficiently  interesting  to  be  given  without  abridgement. 

He  states  that  he  found  the  mammoth  in  the  position  last  indicated,  but  shockingly  mutilated.  It  seems  that  some  sick- 
ness which  the  Tungusian  had  experienced,  had  been  attributed  to  this  bad  omen,  by  his  prejudiced  countrymen;  but  with 
his  recovery  this  prejudice  had  been  dissipated,  and  no  obstacle  to  approach  the  carcass  remained. 

The  first  discoverer  was  contented  with  his  share  of  the  profit  arising  from  the  sale  of  the  tusks,  and  the  Jakritski  of  the 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  50 

Of  Contractibility. — We  must  be  careful  not  to  confound  the  property  of  elasticity  with 
contractibility,  which  belongs  exclusively  to  vitality;  elasticity,  as  we  have  said,  is  the 
spontaneous  returning  to  its  original  dimensions  and  juxtaposition  of  its  particles,  and 
never  exceeds  the  action  of  stretching ;  but  contractibility  is  not  subject  to  any  such  law. 

neighborhood  had  proceeded  to  cut  off  the  flesh  to  feed  their  dogs,  and  sundry  wild  beasts,  such  as  white  bears,  wolves, 
wolverines  and  foxes,  must  have  partaken  of  it,  as  their  footsteps  were  found  abundantly  in  the  surrounding  sand.  By  this 
means  the  skeleton  had  been  almost  entirely  cleared  of  its  flesh,  but  the  bones  were  all  there  except  one  fore-leg,  which  was 
nowhere  to  be  found.  The  head  was  covered  with  a  dry  skin,  and  one  of  the  ears  was  well  preserved,  and  was  furnished 
with  a  tuft  of  hair.  But  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  these  parts  have  been  injured  by  transporting  them  to  St.  Petersburg,  a 
distance  of  7,330  miles.  The  eyes  were  preserved,  and  the  pupil  of  one  can  yet  be  distinguished. 

This  mammoth  was  a  male,  and  had  a  long  mane  on  his  neck.  The  tail  and  proboscis  are  unfortunately  wanting.  The 
skin,  of  which  (says  Mr.  Adams)  I  possess  three  fourths,  is  of  a  dark  grey  color,  and  is  covered  with  reddish  wool  and  Uwk 
hair;  but  the  dampness  of  the  spot  where  it  had  so  long  lain  had,  in  some  degree,  destroyed  (injured)  the  hair.  Tho 
entire  carcass,  of  which  I  collected  the  bones,  was  10  feet  4  inches  long,  and  9  feet  4  inches  high.  The  tusks  (not  included 
in  the  above  length)  measured  0  feet  6  inches  along  the  curve.  The  distance  from  the  base  or  root  of  the  tusk  to  the  point, 
was  3  feet  7  inches.  The  two  tusks  weighed  300  Ibs.,  and  the  head  414  Ibs.  The  skin  was  of  such  a  weight  that  it  required 
ten  persons  to  transport  it  to  the  shore.  Upwards  of  30  Ibs.  of  hair  and  wool  were  collected,  and  much  more  had  been 
trodden  into  the  sand  by  wild  beasts. 

The  integuments  «onsisted  of  common  hair,  bristles  and  wool.  The  first  was  of  different  varieties,  in  regard  to  length  and 
thickness.  That  remaining  on  the  skin  was  thick-set  and  crisply  curled,  interspersed  with  a  few  bristles  about  3  inches  long, 
and  of  a  dark  reddish  color.  Some  of  the  hair  was  about  4  inches  long,  and  was  more  red  than  the  short  ones.  Some  of  the 
bristles  were  nearly  black,  and  much  thicker  than  horse  hair,  and  from  12  to  18  inches  in  length. 

From  the  above  narrative,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine  from  what  part  of  the  body  of  the  animal  the  four  hairs  were  taken, 
which  arc  the  subject  of  the  following  description.  No.  1,  is  in  length  6  inches  and  a  half.  It  is  cylindrical,  and  at  the 
inferior  extremity  has  a  diameter  of  -jrVtn  °f  an  inch,  but  gradually  diminishes  towards  the  superior  extremity,  where  it  has 
a  diameter  of  T^<j-  of  an  inch- 
It  has  no  button,  sheath,  nor  follicle.  Tho  shaft  is  black,  passing  into  a  blackish  brown,  opnque,  and  devoid  of  lustre. 
The  inferior  extremity  is  broken  and  uneven,  exhibiting  the  intermediate  fibrous  substance.  It  is  stiff  and  wiry,  somewhat 
flexible,  but  brittle.  March  21,  1849,  one  inch  of  it  was  submitted  to  the  trichometer,  (the  Bar.  being  29,  Ther.  69,  F.  and 
Dew-point  60,)  when  the  following  were  the  results: — 

It  showed  no  ductility  with  a  weight  less  than  3,300  grains,  when  it  stretched  in^h  of  an  inch,  and  upon  removing  the 
weight,  the  elasticity  was  entire. 

The  weight  was  gradually  increased  to  4,300  grains,  with  which  it  extended  -^ths  Of  an  inch,  and  the  elasticity  was  entire  ; 
with  4,500  grains  it  broke.  The  fracture  was  ragged,  and  exhibited  three  distinct  substances,  which  appeared  to  have  parted 
in  succession. 

No. 2,  is  4  inches  and  -p^ths  in  length;  cylindrical,  and  -j'jthof  an  inch  in  diameter;  color,  black,  opaque,  and  devoid  of 
lustre.  Both  terminations  are  abrupt ;  the  anterior  one  furcated  ;  has  no  button,  sheath,  nor  follicle.  It  is  much  curled  and 
bent,  and  the  cortex  has  been  fractured  in  two  places.  Upon  this  filament  is  the  ovum  of  a  parasitic  insect. 

No.  3.  This  hair  is  in  length  6J  inches,  and  has  a  diameter  of  -ritftn  °f  an  inch.  Has  no  button,  sheath,  nor  follicle. 
Shaft,  cylindrical,  at  the  inferior  extremity,  but  gradually  passing  into  an  oval  at  the  superior  extremity.  Color,  blackish 
brown,  stiff,  and  slightly  undulated. 

No.  4.  This  hair  is  in  length  8  inches  and  i\ihs  ;  diameter,  ,-g-Q-th  of  an  inch.  No  button,  sheath,  nor  follicle.  Shaft — 
cortex,  color,  brown  ;  intermediate  substance,'  fibrous ;  coloring  matter  in  the  centre,  dark  brown.  It  is  stiff  and  brittle ; 
inferior  termination,  abrupt;  superior  one,  bifurcated. 

Trial  of  this  hair  with  the  trichometer,  same  day  as  No.  1,  with  a  weight  of  1,070  grains  it  stretched  -joth  of  an  inch,  and 
upon  removing  the  weight,  the  elasticity  was  entire. 

With  2,270  grains,  its  ductility  was  -/jths  of  an  inch,  and  elasticity  entire  ;  with  3,820  grains  its  ductility  was  -/(yths  of  an 
inch,  and  elasticity  entire;  with  4,029  grains  its  elasticity  was  -jjths  of  an  inch,  and  elasticity  entire;  with  4,669  it  broke. 

The  most  remarkable  circumstance  in  regard  to  these  hairs  is  that,  having  lain  in  the  ice  for  the  immense  period  that  the 
mammoth  must  have  been  there,  has  not  impaired  their  ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity  more  than  it  appears  to  have  done. 
We  cannot  well  account  for  the  want  of  the  buttons,  sheaths  and  follicles  upon  these  hairs  ;  probably  they  were  cut  from 
the  hide.  We  have  no  bristles  or  wool  to  examine. 

14 


56 


TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMM ALIUM : 


Table  showing  the  Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  certain  Piles. 


r-v         i  •  ,-  , 

Loss    ofBroke 

Weight  in 

Ductility 
in  1-100 

Weight  in 

elasticityl     with 

grains. 

of  an  inch. 

grains. 

n  1-100  of 

weight  in 

an  inch. 

grains. 

Hair  of  the  head  of  a  lady,  which  had  laid  32  7 

1 

0 

1 

0 

1 

years  in  the  grave,                                                5 

Hair  of  the  Sloth,  - 

240 

17 

240 

8 

250 

Mummy  hair,  from  Thebes, 

0 

0 

320 

Ancient  hair,  from  Pisco,  Peru, 

370 

42 

370 

28 

420 

"     Mexico, 

470 

3 

470 

0 

820 

President  Madison's,  (fallen  out,)    - 

500 

36 

500 

23 

520 

Hair  from  the  stomach  of  a  Ruminant, 

573 

8 

473 

3 

673 

President  Jackson's,  (cut  after  death,) 

590 

7 

550 

3 

630 

Hair  of  a  compound  Hybrid,  (Hilton,) 

760 

39 

760 

19 

780 

Hair  of  the  Hon.  Jno.  Sergeant, 

710 

26 

710 

17 

720 

Hair  of  Prof.  Jno  K.  Mitchell,  - 

813 

37 

813 

25 

823 

Ancient  hair  of  a  Mexican  Mummy, 

853 

5 

470 

1 

893 

Hair  of  the  Albino,  Mrs.  Williams,     - 

820 

47 

820 

33 

870 

Hair  of  R.  Dividson,  at  100  years  old,     - 

973 

45 

973 

25 

1,023 

Hair  of  the  Elk, 

970 

4 

970 

0 

1,170 

Hair  of  the  Grizzly  Bear, 

1,070 

10 

1,070 

7 

1,120 

Hair  of  General  Washington, 

1,073 

35 

973 

20 

1,123 

Hair  in  Tinea  Capitis,     - 

1,020 

55 

1,020 

34 

1,070 

Hair  of  Choctaw  Indian,     - 

1,270 

30 

1,770 

20 

1,370 

Hair  of  E.  Hale,  the  Quaker  Giant, 

1,273 

30 

1,273 

13 

1,373 

Another  hair  of  the  compound  Hybrid,  Hilton,    - 

1,300 

45 

1,200 

25 

1,350 

Hair  of  Mr.  Swain, 

1,473 

47 

1,473 

29 

1,573 

Hair  of  Big-  Water,  Indian  Chief, 

1,520 

44 

1,520 

28 

1,570 

Hair  of  Prof.  Silliman,   - 

1,770 

40 

1,770 

24 

1,820 

German  Bristle, 

14,266 

4 

4,266 

2 

5,576 

Hair  of  the  Siberian  Mammoth,  found  in  Siberia, 

4,300 

2 

4,300 

0 

4,500 

Elephant's  Beard, 

9,992 

10 

9,992 

3 

10,072 

Russian  Bristle, 

14,858 

7 

14,858 

0 

18,354 

Spine  of  the  Pecary, 

14,173 

30 

14,173 

18 

14,653 

Oil,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 


Description  of  an  Instrument  called  a  Trichometer,*  designed 
to  measure  the  Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  Pile. — The 
accompanying  figure  represents  a  brass  plate,  3  and  ^  inches 
long  and  1  ^  wide.  A,  is  an  inch  scale  divided  on  the  margin 
into  parts  of  an  inch.  By  means  of  a  slide  and  groove  this  scale 
can  be  moved  up  and  down,  not  exceeding  one  inch,  the  parts  of 
which  are  marked  on  the  brass  plate;  B,  is  a  permanent  clamp, 
and  C  a  moveable  one  ;  D,  is  a  separate  clamp,  with  a  hook  by 
which  the  scale  disk  is  suspended. 

Modus  operandi. — Having  ascertained  the  state  of  the  barome- 
ter, thermometer  and  hygrometer,  place  one  end  of  a  hair,  some- 
thing more  than  an  inch  long,  in  the  clamp  C,  and  the  other 
(Mid  into  clamp  D;  adjust,  with  the  screw  of  C,  until  there  is 
exactly  one  inch  of  hair  from  the  points  of  clamp  D,  (between 
which  it  passes,)  and  the  jaws  of  clamp  B  ;  close  both  these 
clamps.  Having  placed  the  instrument  in  a  vertical  position, 
suspended  the  scale  disk  to  the  hook,  and  put  into  it  as  much 
weight  as  will  cause  the  pile  to  stretch,  note  the  amount,  as 
indicated  by  the  scale, f  remove  the  weight,  and  ascertain  to 
what  degree  the  pile  returns  to  its  original  length  by  means  of 
its  elasticity.  Repeat  the  experiment  with  gradually  increased 
weights  until  the  hair  breaks.  These  results  will  show  the  ductility,  elasticity  and 
tenacity. 

OF  THE  DIRECTION  OF  PILE. — By  direction  we  mean  the  course  or  path  which  a 
filament  of  pile  pursues  from  the  point  where  it  pierces  the  epidermis  to  its  apex.  These 
directions  are  of  three  kinds,  viz:  1st,  the  straight  and  lank;J  2d,  the  flowing  or  curl- 
ing; 3d,  the  crisped  or  frizzled,  which  is  generally  spirally  curled. $ 

The  Laws  Relating  to  the  Direction  of  Pile. — 1.  Hair  that  is  cylindrical  must  necessarily 
hang  straightly  and  lankly  from  the  head.  2.  Hair  that  is  oval  must  inevitably  flow 
or  curl.  3.  Wool  that  is  eccentrically  elliptical  must  always  be  crisped  or  frizzled,  and 
sometimes  spirally  curled. 

The  Reasons. — Ductility  and  elasticity,  (as  before  explained,)  are  essential  properties  of 
pile,  and  reside  in  the  fibres.  A  hair  that  is  cylindrical  has  just  as  many  fibres,  on  all 
sides,  from  the  centre  to  the  periphery  ;  and  these  fibres,  being  acted  upon  equally,  when 
the  hair  is  stretched  or  drawn  up,  the  filament  must  necessarily  stretch  and  draw  up 
straightly,  and  the  lankness  be  preserved.  But  an  oval  hair  has  a  greater  number  of  fibres 
on  its  two  flattened  sides  than  upon  the  ellipses;  when,  therefore,  the  stretching  power  is 


*  From  "  trix,"  a  hair,  and  "mctron,"  a  measure. 

t  The  weight  of  the  clamp  I),  and  scale  disk  must  be  added. 

J  "  Lank." — We  know  of  no  word  in  the  English  language  which  gives  a  better  idea  of  the  peculiar  direction  of  this  pile. 

|  Query,  whether  crisped  and  frizzed  pile  is  not  spiral  curls  drawn  out  and  combed  separate? 


58  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

exerted,  it  flows  or  curls  in  the  direction  of  one  of  these  flattened  sides,  in  exact  proportion 
to  the  eccentricity  of  the  ellipse.  An  eccentrically  elliptical  filament  of  pile,  being  still 
flatter,  the  spiral  curl  is  the  necessary  consequence. 

Proofs. — Every  one  knows  how  easy  it  is  to  bend  a  spatula,  (which  is  fibrous,)  in  the 
direction  of  either  of  its  flattened  surfaces,  while  his  whole  strength  cannot  make  it  bend 
in  either  of  the  contrary  directions.  Just  so  it  is,  (except  in  an  inferior  degree,)  with  a 
flattened  hair  ;  a  small  degree  of  elastic  force  will  cause  it  to  flow  towards  one  of  its  flat- 
tened sides,  and  a  little  more  will  make  it  curl  in  the  same  direction;  but  no  stretching 
or  shrinking  force  ever  makes  it  flow  or  curl  edgewise,  or  in  the  direction  of  its  ellipse. 

From  a  piece  of  wood,  (where  the  fibres  acting  conjointly  preserve  the  whole  mass 
straight,)  plane  a  thin  shaving,  and  it  will  curl.  It  is  the  same  force  that  preserves  a 
watch-spring  in  a  spiral  curl,  while  an  equal  quantity  of  metal,  in  a  cylindrical  form,  will 
be  straight.  Pass  a  cylindrical  hair  between  rollers,  flattening  it,  and  it  will  flow,  curl  or 
form  spiral  curls  in  proportion  to  the  flattening. 

The  Consequences. — These  laws  being  firmly  established,  we  can  judge  of  the  direction 
of  pile  by  its  shape,  and  of  the  shape  of  pile  by  the  direction.*  We  will  recur  to  this  sub- 
ject again  directly. 

OF  THE  INCLINATION  OF  PILE  OF  THE  HEAD. — By  the  inclination  of  pile  we  mean  the 
angle  which  the  filament  forms  with  the  tegument  from  which  it  proceeds.  This  inclina- 
tion does  not  depend  upon  the  shape,  nor  upon  the  direction ;  nor  does  the  direction 
depend  at  all  upon  the  inclination;  but  it  is  due  entirely  to  the  angle  which  the  root  of  the 
pile  bears  to  the  skin  of  the  animal  in  which  it  is  imbedded. 

The  roots  of  cylindrical  and  oval  pile  have  an  acute  angle  of  inclination;  for  which 
reason  those  hairs  do  not  grow  out  of  the  epidermis  at  a  right  angle  thereto,  but  incline  in 
a  determinate  manner;  while  the  roots  of  eccentrically  elliptical  pile  lie  in  the  dermis 
perpendicularly,  and  hence  the  filaments  pierce  the  epidermis  at  right  angles  thereto. 

Of  particular  inclinations  of  Pile. — The  foregoing  description  of  the  general  inclination 
of  pile  of  the  head  is  governed  by  the  following  subordinate  rules,  viz:  1st.  That  of  the 
anterior  part  of  the  cranium  inclines  obliquely  in  front,  having  a  tendency  to  cover  the 
forehead,  and  that  of  the  posterior  and  inferior  portions  obliquely,  transverse,  so  as  to  make 
the  locks  fall  naturally  along  the  posterior  part  of  the  neck  ;  it  is  the  same  with  the  sides 
of  the  head,  where  the  inclination  carries  this  covering  to  the  region  of  the  ears.  But 
these  inclinations  are,  sometimes,  partially  artificially  altered.  Bichat  ventured  the 
opinion  that  these  natural  inclinations  of  the  hair  belong  to  the  part  of  the  bone  which  lies 
underneath ;  but  of  this  we  see  no  proof.  The  skull  of  the  negro  and  that  of  the  white 
man,  are  composed  of  the  same  number  of  pieces. 

*  It  is  true  that  sometimes  the  shrinking  process  of  the  two  flattened  sides  alternate,  when  an  exception,  in  the  shape 
of  the  undulating  hair  is  the  consequence ;  but  generally,  if  the  shrinking  force  of  the  fibre  on  one  flattened  side  of  the 
filament,  gains  the  ascendancy  over  that  of  the  other  side,  a  curl  in  that  direction  is  permanent ;  for  the  more  the  former  is 
curved,  the  more  force  will  be  required  for  its  recursion,  and  the  more  the  latter  is  stretched,  the  less  will  be  its  power  to 
return  to  its  original  condition. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  f>9 

2d.  Of  the.  inclination  of  the  Hairs  of  the  Body  and  Members. — Hypogastric  hairs  h:i\r 
no  determinate  inclination  ;  the  hair  of  the  navel  inclines  towards  it ;  those  anterior  to  the 
breasts  and  of  the  back  descend  ;  those  of  the  neck  incline  upwards,  while  those  of  the 
members,  generally,  incline  downwards ;  with  the  exception  of  those  of  the  forearm,  most 
of  which  incline  towards  the  elbow. 

Inclination  of  the  Hair  of  the  lower  Animals. — A  Treatise  upon  Milch  Cows,  recently 
published  by  M.  Francis  Guenen,  wherein  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  milk  they  will 
give,  &c.,  is  said  to  be  determined  by  certain  natural  marks,  contains  some  very  curious 
remarks  in  respect  to  the  inclination  of  their  hair. 

THE  CLASSIFICATION  OF  PILE  OF  THE  HEAD. — By  the  application  of  the  foregoing  laws, 
we  will  find  no  difficulty  in  separating  pile  of  the  head  into  three  distinct  classes,  viz : 

1.  Hair  that  is  in  shape  cylindrical,  in  direction  straight  and  lank,  and  in  inclination  at 
an  acute  angle. 

2.  Hair  that  is  in  shape  oi>al,  in  direction  flowing  or  curling,  and  in  inclination  at  an 
acute  angle. 

3.  Wool  that  is  in  shape  eccentrically  elliptical,  in  direction  crisp  or  frizzled,  and  in 
inclination  at  a  right  angle. 

OF  THE  CLASSIFICATION  OF  MAN  BY  THE  PILE  OF  THE  HEAD. — Having  shown  that  there 
are  three  distinct  species  of  pile  of  the  head,  if  we  can  prove  that  there  are  three  portions 
of  men  who  now  exist,  and  who  from  time  immemorial  have  existed,  the  covering  of  whose 
heads,  respectively,  do,  and  have,  uniformly,  corresponded  with  these  three  species  of  pile, 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  pronouncing  that  (judging  from  the  pile  of  their  heads) 
they  belong  to  three  distinct  species  of  men. 

1st.  Of  the  Pile  of  the  present  American  Indians. — We  have,  in  our  cabinet  of  national 
pile,  the  largest  number  and  most  carefully  collected  specimens  in  existence  of  hair  of  the 
head  of  the  present  American  Indians  of  the  pure  blood,  these  we  have  examined  with  the. 
utmost  care  and  attention,  and  find  them  to  be  cylindrical. 

2d.  We  invoke  the  aid  of  the  law  above  laid  down,  viz:  "that  a  hair  that  is  cylindri- 
cal hangs  straightly  and  lankly  from  the  head,  and  that  hair  that  hangs  straightly  and 
lankly  must  be  cylindrical."  This  being  admitted,  enables  us  from  the  numerous  descrip- 
tions of  the  American  Indian  hair,  from  the  earliest  discovery  of  this  Continent,  (all  of 
which  represent  them  as  having  straight,  lank  hair,)  to  pronounce  that  they  have,  for  all 
that  time,  been  cylindrical. 

3d.  Of  Mound  and  Mummy  American  Indian  Pile. — But  we  are  enabled  to  trace  this 
character  to  a  much  earlier  date.  We  have,  in  our  cabinet,  the  finest  known  collection  of 
American  mound  and  mummy  hair,  to  which  we  call  particular  attention,  as  they  establish 
the  antiquity  and  uniformity  of  this  species  of  men. 

No.  1.  Examination  and  Description  of  hair  and  a  portion  of  scalp  from  the  skull  of  a 
young  American  Indian,  supposed  to  be  a  female  of  about  ten  years  old,  from  Pachacamack, 
Temple  of  the  Sun,  five  leagues  from  Lima,  South  America. — This  cemetery  has  not  been 
15 


60  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

used  since  the  Spanish  Conquest,  previously  to  which  (according  to  Herrera)  it  was  kept 
sacred  for  the  nobles  and  other  dignitaries  of  Peru.  Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  S. 
Pancoast,  M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance. — Of  the  scalp,  that  of  old  tanned  sheep-skin.  The  hair  has  a 
dead,  dry  appearance.  Length,  (natural,)  about  2  inches;  shape,  cylindrical;  diameter, 
^isr  °f  an  incn;  color,  dark  brown;  no  lustre;  direction,  straight;  inclination,  at  an  acute 
angle  with  the  epidermis;  ductility,  with  470  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch; 
elasticity,  entire;  tenacity,  broke  with  520  grains;  fracture,  the  fibres  drawn  out  of  the 
cortex;  button,  when  free,  spindle-shaped,  and  split  at  the  posterior  extremity;  sheath, 
none;  follicle,  none;  the  posterior  termination  of  the  hair  in  the  scalp,  club-shaped  and 
black;  length,  ^{^ ;  diameter,  ¥|¥ ;  while  the  diameter  of  the  shaft  is  -gfa  of  an  inch; 
shaft,  brown  color;  no  lustre;  coloring  matter,  apparently  in  the  cortex,  in  lines;  inter- 
mediate fibres,  white;  diameter  of  one,  y^Va"  °f  an  incn;  apex,  mostly  pointed;  some  few 
abrupt;  no  furcations;  disk,  of  one  uniform  color. 

No.  2.  Examination  and  Description  of  hair  and  a  small  portion  of  scalp  from  a  slaill 
from  Pachacamack,  Peru,  South  America. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  S.  G.  Morton, 
M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  being  taken  from  a  skull  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  of 
Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance. — Of  the  scalp,  of  a  light  brown  tanned  sheep-skin ;  that  of  the 
hair,  of  dry,  dead  hair;  length,  (artificial,)  eight  inches;  shape,  cylindrical;  diameter, 
SYS-  of  an  inch;  color,  dark  brown;  no  lustre;  direction,  straight  and  lank;  inclination, 
at  an  acute  angle  with  the  epidermis ;  ductility,  with  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  JT  of 
an  inch,  and  with  320  grains  -fa  ;  elasticity,  entire ;  tenacity,  broke  with  720  grains ; 
fracture,  the  cortex  disrupted,  and  the  fibres  drawn  out;  button,  spindle-shaped,  dark 
colored,  particularly  at  the  posterior  extremity ;  length,  T|-g ;  diameter,  ^^ ;  the  diameter 
of  the  shaft  being  ^^  of  an  inch ;  sheath,  none ;  follicle,  none. 

Of  Hairs  imbedded  in  the  partly  decayed  Scalp. — The  posterior  portion  of  a  grown  hair 
is  spindle-shaped,  with  a  ragged  lower  outline,  below  which  is  a  mass  of  coloring  matter, 
and  under  that  again  three  or  more  vessels.  The  spindle  is,  in  length,  T-J^,  and  diameter, 
T{^ ;  that  of  the  shaft  being  u|^  of  an  inch.  The  mass  of  coloring  matter  is  of  the  length 
of  2-^-g-,  and  of  the  diameter  of  T{^  of  an  inch.  The  vessels  have  a  diameter  of  ^-sVjr  of 
an  inch.  Alongside  of  this  grown  hair  is  a  young  one,  which  is  now  set  in  the  dermis  at 
its  posterior  extremity,  and  free  at  its  anterior  one ;  but  which  has,  between  these  two 
extremities,  adhering  to  it,  three  separate  pieces  of  decayed  scalp,  making  it  probable  that, 
at  the  lime  of  the  death  of  this  person,  this  hair  had  not  pierced  the  epidermis.  It  has  a 
diameter  of  only  -j^V^  of  an  inch,  is  spindle-shaped  at  its  posterior  extremity,  and  is  devoid 
of  biitton,  sheath  and  follicle, — the  coloring  matter  being  smaller  in  quantity,  but  located 
like  that  of  the  grown  hair.  Throughout  the  whole  portion  of  scalp  are  spots  of  coloring 
matter,  some  of  them  too  small  for  exact  measurement. 

Shaft — cortex,  transversely  striated,  the  scales  easily  removed  by  rolling  the  hair 
between  two  pieces  of  glass ;  intermediate  fibres,  white,  easily  separated  by  crushing  a 
hair;  coloring  matter  in  the  cortex;  apex,  abrupt  and  pointed;  disk,  having  a  minute 
white  central  spot. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  61 

No.  3.  Examination  and  Description  of  hair  from  a  skull  from  Arica,  Peru,  South 
America. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  S.  G.  Morton,  M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance,  that  of  dead,  dried,  black  hair;  length,  (artificial,)  3  inches; 
shape,  cylindrical ;  diameter,  from  ¥|¥  to  ^T  of  an  inch,  i.  e.  of  different  filaments ;  color, 
very  dark  brown ;  no  lustre  ;  direction,  straight  and  lank ;  inclination,  unknown  ;  ductility, 
with  420  grains  one  inch  stretched  -Jfr  of  an  inch ;  elasticity,  minus  -^ ;  tenacity,  broke 
with  470  grains ;  button,  spindle-shaped,  dark  colored  ;  length,  T- J  7 ;  diameter,  J-^-Q  ; 
while  that  of  the  shaft  is  -5-J- •$  of  an  inch  ;  sheath,  none ;  follicle,  none  ;  shaft — cortex,  dark 
colored,  the  scales  easily  disengaged;  intermediate  fibres,  white,  translucent;  diameter, 
from  2-sVo  to  j^Vf  of  an  inch;  easily  separated  by  crushing  the  hair;  apex,  pointed  and 
abrupt ;  one  filament  has  a  remarkable  natural  bifurcation ;  disks,  uniformly  colored ;  no 
central  dot. 

No.  4.  Examination  and  Description  of  a  portion  of  the  scalp  and  hair  from  a  skull 
from  Pisco,  Peru,  South  America. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  S.  G.  Morton,  M.  D.,  of 
Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance. — The  scalp  is  of  a  dark  brown  color,  and  resembles  ancient  tanned 
leather.  It  divides  into  layers,  viz:  layer  immediately  beneath  that  in  which  the  hair  is 
imbedded,  and  that  in  which  the  hair  is  imbedded.  The  arrangement  is  in  tufts, 
with  interstices.  Length,  (artificial,)  3s  inches;  shape,  cylindrical;  diameter,  T^  of 
an  inch ;  color,  dark  brown,  inclining  to  black ;  no  lustre ;  direction,  straight  and  lank ; 
inclination,  at  an  acute  angle  with  the  epidermis ;  ductility,  with  370  grains  one  inch 
stretched  ||  of  an  inch;  elasticity,  with  370  grains  one  inch  lost  ff  of  its  length; 
tenacity,  broke  with  420  grains*;  button,  spindle,  club  and  crook-shaped;  sheath,  none; 
follicle,  none ;  shaft — cortex  easily  fractured  ;  intermediate  fibres,  white,  translucent ;  apex, 
abrupt  and  pointed ;  the  point  minute  ;  disk,  with  a  small  central  spot. 

No.  5.  Examination  and  Description  of  hair  and  portions  of  scalp  from  a  skull 
of  an  Aztec,  found  in  Mexico,  North  America. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  S.  G. 
Morton,  M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  from  a  skull  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  of 
Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance. — Of  the  scalp,  that  of  dandruff;  length,  (artificial,)  3  inches  ;  shape, 
cylindrical;  diameter,  ^¥  of  an  inch;  color,  dark  brown;  no  lustre;  direction,  straight 
and  lank ;  inclination,  unknown ;  ductility,  with  470  grains  one  inch  stretched  -$$  of  an 
inch  ;  elasticity — when  the  weight  was  removed,  it  had  lost  none  of  its  elasticity  ; 


*  Grains. 

Stretched. 

Elasticity. 

170 

tfff 

entire. 

225 

& 

it 

270 

tt 

minus          \^ 

320 

37 
Tff 

\\ 

370 

4! 

\l 

420     broke. 

62  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALICM  ; 

tenacity,  broke  with  820  grains  ;*  button,  sometimes  a  mere  swelling  of  the  posterior 
extremity  of  the  shaft,  at  others  spindle  or  slightly  hooked,  and  cracked  at  the  lower 
extremity ;  sheath,  none  ;  follicle,  none  ;  shaft — cortex,  friable  ;  intermediate  fibres,  white  ; 
fibrils,  very  minute;  one  measured  less  than  the  -^oW  °f  an  inch;  apex,  pointed  and 
abrupt;  no  furcations;  disk,  has  a  central  white  spot. 

No.  6.  Examination  and  Description  of  hair  and  a  portion  of  scalp  of  the  skull  of 
another  Aztec,  from  Mexico,  North  America. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  S.  G.  Morton, 
M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia,  being  taken  from  a  skull  in  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  of 
Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance  of  the  scalp,  is  that  of  dark  colored,  dried  dirt;  when  rendered 
translucent,  found  to  be  set  with  hair  in  tufts;  length,  (artificial,)  1  inch;  shape,  cylin- 
drical; diameter,  7|¥  of  an  inch;  color,  dark  brown;  no  lustre;  button,  spindle-shaped, 
dark  colored,  and  divided  in  the  centre;  length,  T^;  diameter,  ^^ ;  that  of  the  shaft 
being  T-|-^  of  an  inch;  the  button,  of  a  young  hair,  measured  in  length,  ^3-5 ;  in  diameter, 
•J^Y  ;  that  of  the  shaft  being  ^^  of  an  inch;  sheath,  none;  follicle,  none;  shaft — cortex, 
friable,  easily  removed;  intermediate  fibres,  white;  fibrils,  very  minute;  one  was  less  than 
the  -j-j^-j-  of  an  inch ;  apex,  pointed  and  abrupt ;  no  furcation ;  disk,  uniform  color. 

No.  7.  Examination  and  Description  of  hair  and  a  portion  of  the  scalp  of  an  ancient 
Indian,  from  a  skull  found  in  the  interior  of  Brazil,  South  America. — Specimen  presented 
by  Prof.  S.  G.  Morton,  M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia. 

General  Appearance. — Of  the  scalp,  that  of  granulated,  black  soil ;  of  the  pile,  in  tufts 
of  coarse,  black,  dead  hair;  length,  (artificial,)  5  inches;  shape,  cylindrical;  diameter, 
Tj-J-j  of  an  inch;  button,  none — or  a  mere  swelling  of  the  posterior  extremity  of  the  shaft 
fractured;  color,  black;  no  lustre;  sheath,  none;  follicle,  none;  shaft — cortex,  black, 
opaque  ;  direction  and  inclination,  unknown ;  ductility,  with  520  grains  one  inch  stretched 
^5-  of  an  inch;  elasticity,  entire;  tenacity,  broke  with  620  grains;  intermediate  fibres, 
discolored. 

In  one  tuft  the  hairs  were  held  together,  at  their  posterior  extremity,  by  small  portions 
of  decayed  scalp,  and  a  confused  mass  of  young  hairs,  fibrils,  vessels,  and  minute  pieces 
of  a  feather.  The  diameter  of  the  young  hairs,  fibrils  and  vessels,  vary  from  ^V^o  to  ^V ~o> 
and  smaller ;  one  portion  of  feather  measured,  in  length,  ^j,  and  in  diameter,  ¥|T  of  an 
inch. 

A  thin  piece  of  scalp,  which  is  rendered  transparent,  is  composed  of  several  layers  of 
various  thicknesses,  and  several  shades  of  yellowish-brown  color.  It  has,  imbedded  in  it, 
young  hairs,  fibres,  fibrils,  and  minute  objects  resembling  the  scales  of  the  lepisma  saccha- 
rina;  one  of  these  is  in  length,  y^,  and  in  diameter,  ^-^  °f  an  inch,  and  is  marked 
longitudinally  with  minute  parallel  lines. 


*  Grains. 

Stretched. 

Elasticity. 

170 

•sV 

entire. 

370 

2 

•sir 

" 

470 

3 

" 

820        broke. 

Oil,  A  TREATISE  ON  P1LK.V  63 

Among  the  hair  is  found  a  fragment  of  a  feather,  of  a  yellow  color,  and  considerable 
lustre ;  in  length,  -fa ;  diameter,  ^7,  gradually  tapering  to  r£T  of  an  inch — the  beard 
upon  which  varies  in  length  from  ^\  to  5^T  of  an  inch,  and  diameter,  ^£T. 

There  is  also  found  among  the  hair  an  insect. 

Peculiarities  and  Affinities. — The  peculiarities  of  this  hair  are  its  cylindrical  shape,  its 
straight  and  lank  direction,  its  inclination  at  an  acute  angle,  to  the  epidermis,  its  coloring 
matter  in  the  cortex,  and  as  these  constitute  its  affinities  with  the  hair  of  the  Choctaw, 
Cherokee  and  other  tribes  of  existing  American  Indians,  they  determine  all  these  nations 
to  belong  to  one  species,  viz:  "xuii  CYLINURICAL-IIAIKEU  MAN." 

From  the  uniformity  of  brown  color  in  these  six  specimens,  in  their  present  faded  con- 
dition, and  the  black  color  of  the  seventh,  it  is  probable  that  they  were  all  originally  black) 
like  the  hair  of  the  present  Indians.  The  want  of  the  usual  ductility,  elasticity  and 
tenacity  is  attributable  to  their  partial  state  of  decay ;  and  their  discrepancy  in  this  respect 
is  probably  owing  to  the  different  periods  that  they  have  been  inhumed.  The  total 
absence  of  sheath,  and  the  distorted  and  disrupted  state  of  the  button,  show  that  those  parts 
are  most  liable  to  decay,  and  even  the  membranous  intermediate  fibres  which  are  found 
more  perfect,  have  parted  with  a  portion  of  their  essential  properties  by  lapse  of  time. 

The  pointed  apices  to  many  of  the  filaments,  are  due  to  the  constant  supply  of  new 
hairs  to  make  up  the  deficiency  of  those  that  are  continually  falling,  and  the  abrupt  termi- 
nation of  others,  show  that  it  was  the  practice  then,  as  it  is  now,  to  cut  the  hair,  The  nit 
which  is  found  on  one  of  these  hairs,  is  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  the  Aptera,  of  which  they 
are  the  embryo.  It  is  probable  that  the  white  centre,  which  is  noticed  in  the  disk  of  Nos-. 
2,  4  and  5,  is  common  to  them  all ;  but,  being  interrupted,  is  not  seen  in  the  rest. 

OF  CHINESE  PILE. — Our  collection  of  Chinese  pile,  although  very  respectable,  is  not 
equal  to  that  of  the  American  Indians;  it  is,  however,  ample  for  the  determination  that 
this  numerous  people  belong  to  the  cylindrical-haired  species;  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  the  Chinese,  in  their  earliest  records,  describe  those  who  belong  to  this  category  by 
the  term  " le  min,"  or  "black-haired  people,"  as  contfadistinguished  from  the  "Yeechi,'' 
or  foreign  races  with  red  or  fair  hair. 

OF  THE  OVAL-HAIRED  SPECIES. — We  have  examined  and  measured  countless  numbers 
of  hairs  of  the  heads  of  Americans  and  Europeans,  and  have  found  them  to  be  oval  or 
ovoidal,  with  as  few  exceptions  as  are  encountered  to  any  other  general  rule  in  natural 
history.  And  here  again,  we  invoke  the  description  of  the  flowing  and  curling  locks  of 
our  ancestors,  with  which  history  and  poetry  are  overflowing. 

Hair,  which  was  the  chief  riches  of  mythology,  was  one  of  the  attributes  of  Heathen 
Divinity.  Phidias  being  asked  by  whom  he  had  been  inspired  to  make  his  statue  of 
Jupiter  Olympus,  replied  "that  it  was  Homer;"  and  it  requires  one  to  be  acquainted 
with  the  poet  to  "understand  the  sculptor.  That  terrible  head  of  curling  hair,  the  single 
movement  of  which  made  Olympus  tremble. 

TH,?cai,  xvavsyaiv  en  btyi-Gi  vsixss  KpomjK 
dfifipoGiau  6'  ctpa  XaiTcu  JTta'p'paKTavTo  dvaxrog 
16  xparos  an  'dSavdrow  (ifyav  fretehit-ev  'OXi^Tiov. — Homeri  llias,  Book  I ,  line  528. 


64  TKICIiOLOOIA  MAMMALIUM; 

In  this  respect  we  are  still  heathens.  What  painter,  even  of  the  present  day,  would 
venture  to  depict  the  father  of  the  gods  with  straight,  lank  hair?  What  poet  would  sing 
of  Phoebus  without  his  long,  gold-reflecting  locks?  We  could  not  understand  Venus 
without  her  flowing  tresses,  the  only  veil  to  cover  her  charms.  Shall  we  deprive  Isis  of 
her  portion  of  these  fully  developed  integuments,  or  rob  the  muses  of  the  name  given  by 
Simonides  of  "  Kallikomai  ?"* 

Achilles,  who  is  represented  as  of  Divine  origin,  and  who  by  his  beauty  and  audacity 
was  almost  a  heathen  god,  is  depicted  as  having  an  abundant  head  of  hair ;  and  when  he 
flies,  the  wind  agitates  his  brilliant  golden  locks,  the  rich  curls  of  which  seem  to  transform 
the  head  of  the  hero  into  a  circle  of  glory.  All  these  descriptions,  although  designed  for 
a  different  purpose,  are  so  many  proofs  of  the  antiquity  of  flawing,  curling  and  conse- 
quently of  oval  hair. 

OF  EGYPTIAN  AND  THEBES  MUMMY  HAIR. — To  which  we  will  add  that  our  cabinet  of 
pile  is  enriched  with  two  specimens  (a  male  and  female)  of  Ancient  Egyptian  Mummy 
hair,  presented  by  Professor  John  K.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  of  this  city,  and  one  specimen  of 
Ancient  Egyptian  Mummy  hair,  of  probably  the  Roman  period,  presented  by  George  R. 
Gliddon,  Esq.,  and  another  from  the  temple  of  Aman,  at  Thebes,  from  the  same  gentle- 
man, all  of  which  are  oval.  This  last  is  worthy  of  being  particularly  described. 

Examination  and  Description  of  the  Hair  of  the  head  of  the  Mummy  Got-mut-as-anch  ; 
the  daughter  of  Got-har-as-anch,  Priest  and  Scribe  of  the  Sacred  Signet  in  the  Temple  of 
Aman,  at  Thebes,  who  lived  between  the  21  st  and  26th  dynasties,  i.  e.  between  the  650  and 
1,000  before  Christ;  or  about  the  time  of  the  Babylonian  captivity  and  the  time  of  Solomon, 
say  about  2,700  years  ago. — This  interesting  lock  of  ancient  pile  contains  nineteen  hairs, 
their  lengths  varying  from  2^  to  2T^  of  an  inch.     But  this  length  must  be  considered  as 
artificial,  for  the  anterior  extremities  of  the  filaments  are  all  abrupt;  showing  that  her 
hair  had  been  cut,  probably  in  her  lifetime ;  for  if  the  length  had  been  the  natural  one, 
that  termination  of  some  of  the  filaments  would  have  been  pointed.     The  shape  of  this 
hair  is  oval ;  the  diameter,  ¥|T  by  ¥^g  of  an  inch;  showing  that  the  lady  belonged  to  the 
oval-haired  species ;  color,  light  brown ;  lustre,  metallic ;  but  both  the  color  and  the  lustre 
may  have  been  changed  by  time  and  the  substances  used  in  embalming.     This  hair  has 
no  ductility  nor  elasticity,  and  its  tenacity  is  very  low,  for  it  breaks  with  320  grains  !f 
The  fracture  is  abrupt,  the  fibres  slightly  obtruding  beyond  the  cortex.     There  is  not  on 
any  hair  the  slightest  appearance  of  a  button,  sheath  or  follicle ;  all  of  which,  being  less 
durable  than  the  shaft,  having  been  destroyed  by  time  and  the  materials  used  in  embalm- 
ing.    The  cortex  is  plainly  distinguishable  from  the  fibres,  and  is  in  diameter  the  -JOTT  °f 
an  inch.     The  terminations  of  the  fibres  are  dark  colored  and  appear  to  occupy  the  whole 
interior  of  the  shaft,  except  a  central  white  spot.     Many  of  the  shafts  are  bent,  some  of 
them  fractured,  but  none  are  furcated. 

*  Beautiful  locks. 

t  A  sound  hair  of  that  diameter  would  have  stretched  i  of  its  length,  and  sustained  some  800  grains. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  05 

When  artificially  rendered  transparent,  the  whole  surface  of  the  shaft  is  seen  marked 
with  longitudinal  strice,  here  and  there  interrupted,  and  of  a  dark  color.  This  dry  hair  is 
easily  crushed,  when  it  becomes  bright  red,  breaks  into  portions  and  separates  into  fibrils 
of  extreme  fineness. 

Conclusion. — We  do  not  apprehend  that  any  one  will  deny  that  we  have  proven  that 
the  cylindrical  and  oval-haired  species  have  existed  for  twenty-seven  centuries. 

OF  THE  ECCENTRICALLY  ELLIPTICAL  SPECIES. — It  might  easily  be  supposed  that  in  a 
city  like  Philadelphia,  abounding  in  black  faces,  no  difficulty  would  be  encountered  in 
procuring  pure  negro  hair.  It  is  quite  the  contrary,  with  great  exertions  we  have  been 
able  to  obtain  the  following  only  : 

1.  Hair  of  the  head  of  a  negro,  born  in  Congo,  Africa,  the  manumitted  slave  of  Colonel 
S.  B.  Davis,  of  Wilmington,  Delaware  ;  whom  we  call  Congo  Billy. 

2.  The  Bushman  boy  from  South  Africa. 

3.  Pure  negro  wool,  presented  by  Dr.  Herring. 

4.  Pure  negro  wool  from  Wilmington,  N.  Carolina,  presented  by  P.  A.  Marstellen,  Esq., 
of  Arrellton,  Prince  William  County,  Virginia, 

5.  Pure  negro  wool  of  Tom,  and  the  same  of  Jenny,  slaves  belonging  to  Samuel  Hodge, 
Little  Pedee  river,  Marion  District,  South  Carolina,  presented  by  Mr.  James  Mullens. 

6.  Pure  negro  wool  of  a  slave  brought  from  Africa  to  Charleston,  many  years  ago,  now 
residing  in  Louisiana,  presented  by  Dr.  Marcus  Taylor,  of  West  Point,  Georgia.   " 

7.  Pure  African  wool,  presented  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Baily,  of  Oxford,  Georgia. 

8  to  15.  Eight  specimens  of  pure  negro  wool  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jno.  S.  Brooks,  of  Mendi 
Mission,  Africa. 

Upon  a  careful  examination,  all  these  have  been  found  to  be  eccentrically  elliptical,  and 
to  be  spirally  curled.  We  will  notice  more  particularly  some  of  these  specimens. 

1.  The  Bushman  Boy. — The  following  is  a  description  of  this  person  from  the  pen  of 
William  F.  Van  Amringe,  Esq.,  the  author  of  the  Natural  History  of  Man. 

"  Accidentally  hearing  that  a  Bushman  boy  was  in  the  Colored  Orphan  Asylum  of  New 
York,  I  visited  the  institution  to  see  him.  He  is  supposed  to  be  about  18  years  of  age; 
but  is  not  taller  than  our  children  of  9  or  10,  thick  set,  and  well  formed,  without  any  indi- 
cation of  dwarfish  peculiarities;  that  is,  his  developments  are  natural,  not  stunted.  His 
complexion  is  light  mullatto;  eyes,  deep  set;  cheek  bones  very  prominent  and  projecting 
laterally;  forehead  low,  very  narrow,  but  not  receding;  comparison  full,  but  causality 
deficient;  caution  very  largely  developed;  combativeness  full;  his  posterior  or  animal 
region  of  the  skull  was,  I  thought,  disproportionably  small,  at  which  I  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised. His  pile  is  remarkably  peculiar;  each  tuft  on  the  head  'is  perfectly  isolated, 
exhibiting  a  distinct  circle  of  yellow  cuticle,  or  line  of  division  from  every  other  tuft. 
The  tufts  are  remarkably  small,  arid  the  hairs  of  each  of  them  so  lightly  interwoven  that 
each  hair  appears  to  be  tightly  drawn  to  a  common  centre." — MS. 

The  following  brief  sketch  of  his  history  is  from  the  same  talented  gentleman  : 

"  Six  years  ago  a  trader  from  ihe  Cape  Colony  was  on  an  expedition  in   the   Bushman 


66  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

Country,  where  he  found  this  boy  in  a  wretched  condition  ;  his  parents  having  been  killed 
by  the  Caffirs.  He  took  the  child  with  him  to  the  Cape,  and  his  business  calling  him 
again  to  the  interior,  he  left  him  in  charge  of  the  American  Consul.  He  did  not  return, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  died.  The  Consul  brought  him  to  the  United  States  and  placed 
him  in  the  Asylum.  He  learned  to  speak  English  at  the  Cape,  and  he  has  since  learned 
to  read  and  write,  and  appears  to  possess  at  least  ordinary  capacity.  His  habits  are  mild 
and  his  spirit  bold  and  fearless.  His  features  are  of  an  exaggerated  negro  type,  and  his 
chest  is  remarkably  full  and  deep." — MS. 

Description  of  the.  Wool  of  the  Bushman  Boy. — Length,  natural,  when  extended  1  inch 
TL  ;  shape,  eccentrically  elliptical ;  diameter,  ¥-^  by  ~s\g  °f  an  inch,  another  ^fa  by  ¥  fa  of 
an  inch ;  color,  black ;  button,  sheath  and  follicle,  had  none  to  examine ;  direction  very 
closely  spirally  curled ;  curl,  ^\  of  an  inch  in  diameter ;  shaft,  cortex,  colored  by  minute 
longitudinal  lines,  the  lines  interrupted  and  the  darkness  of  the  shade  depending  upon 
their  number  and  contiguity.  Intermediate  fibrous  substance,  white,  with  a  white  opaque 
or  translucent  ground  upon  which  are  a  few  minute  longitudinal  lines  ;  no  central  canal 
nor  central  coloring  matter.  Transverse  sections  or  disks  show  a  continuous  dark  color. 

The  Wool  of  Congo  Billy. — Description  of  the  wool  of  a  Congo  negro.  Specimen,  of  a 
negro  called  Billy,  the  manumitted  slave  of  Colonel  Samuel  B.  Davis,  of  Wilmington, 
Delaware,  aged  80  years,  called  by  us  Cong-o  Billy.  Length,  1  inch  and  T27  when 
extended  ;  shaft,  eccentrically  elliptical ;  greatest  diameter,  ^1-$  of  an  inch ;  smallest,  T2Vff 
of  an  inch ;  button,  sheath  and  follicle  had  none  to  examine ;  spirally  curled ;  color, 
black ;  shaft — cortex,  transversely  striated,  the  coloring  matter  disseminated  in  it  by 
means  of  interrupted  lines  of  various  diameters.  Intermediate  fibrous  substance,  white, 
translucent  or  semi-transparent,  the  fibres  when  separated  show  dark,  transverse  divi- 
sions. There  are  a  very  few  deep  red  hairs,  which  readily  divide  into  fibrils  that  are 
very  lustrous ;  i\p  central  canal  or  central  coloring  matter ;  apex,  abrupt  and  often 
furcated. 

Inferences. — We  have  thus  shown,  by  the  pile  of  the  head,  that  there  are  three  distinct 
species  of  human  beings  inhabiting  this  globe,  and  whose  ancestors  have  been  its  inhabi- 
tants for  at  least  from  2,700  to  3,000  year& — probably  from  the  first  creation  of  man. 
These  ave : — 

1.  The  Man  with  cylindrical  or  ci/lindroidal  hair. — This  pile  is  straight  and  lank ;  black ; 
generally  long;  pierces  the  epidermis  at  an  acute  angle;  has  the  coloring  matter  dissemi- 
nated in  the  cortex  and  fibres ;  the  scales  are  few  in  number,  rounded  at  their  anterior 
extremity,  and  invest  closely  the  shaft. 

2.  The  Man  with  oval  or  woidal  hair. — This  pile  is  either  flowing  or  curling;  of  many 
shades  of  color ;  sometimes  long;  pierces  the  epidermis  at  an  acute  angle;  has  the  coloring 
matter  in  a  central  canal;  and  the  scales  few  in  number,  rounded  at  the  anterior  extremity, 
and  invest  the  shaft  closely. 

3.  The  Man  with  eccentrically  elliptical  or  elliptoidal  wool. — This  pile  is  crisped  and 
frizzled,  and  sometimes  spirally  curled;    black;    short;    pierces  the  epidermis  at  right 
angles;  has  the  coloring  matter  disseminated  in  the  cortex  and  fibres,  and  the  scales  nume- 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  67 

rous;    sharp  at  the  anterior  extremity,  and  not  investing  so  closely  the  shaft.     (See 
title  page.) 

OF  HYBRIDS. — A  hybrid  is  an  animal  whose  parents,  respectively,  belong  to  different 
species  ;  and  if  we  have  succeeded  in  showing  that  in  the  human  family  there  are  three 
distinct  species,  it  follows  that,  by  the  union  of  any  two  or  more  of  them,  a  hybrid  will 
be  produced. 

Of  the  division  of  Hybrids, — Hybrids  are  divisible  into  two  classes,  viz : — 

Simple,  being  the  product  of  the,  crossing  of  two  of  the  three  species  only,  and 

Compound,  being  the  product  of  the  crossings  of  the  three  species. 

Of  the  nomenclature  of  Hybrids. — The  following  tables  of  nomenclature  relate  to  simple 
hybrids. 

A,  No.  1,  shows  the  crossings  of  the  two  species,  white  and  black. 

A,  No.  2,  shows  the  crossings  of  black  and  Indian. 

A,  No.  3,  shows  the  crossings  of  Indian  and  white. 

A,  No.  4,  contains,  in  a  condensed  form,  all  that  is  contained  in  Nos.  1,  2  and  3. 

We  preserve  the  names  "  white,"  "black"  and  "Indian,"  because  they  are  short  and 
familiar,  giving  notice  that  by  white,  we  mean  the  oval-haired  species;  by  Mack,  the 
eccentrically  elliptical-piled  species;  and  by  "Indian,"  the  cylindrical-haired  species. 

By  the  term  "  mullatin,"  we  distinguish  all  the  mixtures  of  white  and  black ;  by  "  costing 
all  the  mixtures  of  black  and  Indian;  and  by  "mestisin"  all  the  mixtures  of  Indian  and 
white. 

By  the  prefixes  to  be  found  in  the  third  column,  we  distinguish  the  mixtures  of  the 
species,  showing  the  degree  of  amalgamation;  hepta,  (from  epta,  seven,)  being'a  mixture 
of  seven;  hexa,  (from  ex,  six,)  being  a  mixture  of  six;  penta,  (from  penta,  five,)  being  a 
mixture  of  five;  tetra,  (four,)  being  a  mixture  of  four;  tria,  (from  treis,  three,)  being  a 
mixture  of  three;  di,  (from  dis,  two-fold,)  being  a  mixture  of  two;  and  mono,  (from 
monos,  single,)  representing  one. 

The  dots  (...)  on  the  lines  and  within  brackets  in  the  first  column  of  table  A,  No.  4, 
represent  the  degree  of  mixture,  whilst  the  termination  of  the  brackets  show  the  original 
sources.* 

Examples. — "  Hepta-Mulattin "  is  a  two-fold  mixture,  only  of  white  and  black,  in  the 
proportions  of  ||  of  the  former,  and  T2?  of  the  latter. 

"Hexa  costin"  is  a  two-fold  mixture,  only  of  black  and  Indian,  in  the  proportions  of 
\l  of  the  former,  and  T\  of  the  latter. 

"  Penta  mestisin"  is  a  two-fold  mixture  only,  of  Indian  and  white;  in  the  proportions 
of  {£  of  the  former,  and  T\  of  the  latter. 

*  These  tables  way  be  adapted  to  express  the  crossings  of  animals  inferior  to  man ;  proper  names  being  substituted. 
17 


68 


White. 


TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

TABLE  A,  No.  1. 

SIMPLE    HYBRIDS WHITE    TO    BLACK. 


Ilopta  Mulattin. 


Ilcxa  Mulattin. 


Di  Mulattin 


Mono  Mulattin 


Totra  Mulattin. 


Black. 


Black. 


TABLE  A,  No.  2. 

SIMPLE    HYBRIDS — BLACK    TO    INDIAN. 


Ilopta  Costin. 


Hoxa  Costin. 


Di  Costin. 


Mono  Costin 


Tctra  Costin. 


Indian. 


Indian. 


10 


14 


10 


.0 


10 


12 


14 


1C 


Husii,  Mcstisin. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 

TABLE  A,  No.  3. 

SIMPLE    HYBRIDS — INDIAN    TO   WHITE. 


Hopta  Mcstisin. 


Pcnta  Mcstisin. 


Di  Mostisin. 


Mono  Mestisin 


.  Tetra  Mestisin. 


AVhite. 


TABLE  A,  No.  4. 

Being  a  condensed  table  of  Simple  Hybrids,  viz: — white,  black  and  Indian;   showing 
the  various  crossings  of  which  any  two  of  them,  only,  are  susceptible. 
It  includes  Tables  A,  Nos.  1,  2  and  3. 


• 

16 

White. 

Black. 

Indian. 

r 

{ 

14X   2 

Hepta- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

... 

12X  4 

Hexa- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

1 

{ 

10X   6 

Penta- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

8x  8 

Tetra- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

r 

{ 

6x10 

Tria- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

\ 

... 

4xi2 

Di- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

\ 

{ 

2X14 

Mono- 

Mulattin. 

Costin. 

Mestisin. 

. 

16 

Black. 

Indian. 

White. 

70 


TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIDM ; 


White. 


10 


14 


12 


10 


TABLE  B,  No.  1. 

COMPOUND    HYBRIDS WHITE    TO    TETRA-MULATT1N. 


Hepta-hypo-mono-mulattin. 


Hexa-mono-mulatti  n . 


'  Penta-hyper-mono-mulattin. 


i)i-tria-mulattin. 


Mono-hyper-tria-mulattin. 
Tetra-mulattin. 


Totra-di-raulattin. 


White. 


10 


14 


12 


10 


TABLE  B,  No.  2. 

COMPOUND    HYBRIDS WHITE    TO    TETRA-COSTIN. 


II  epta-hyper-mono-costin . 


Ilexa-mono-costin. 


Di-tria-costin. 


Mono-hypcr-tria-costin 


Tetra-di-costin. 


Tctra-costin. 


"White.' 


14 


1:2 


10 


Ilexa-mono-mestisin. 


Pcnta-hypcr  mono-mestisiu. 


OK,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 

TABLE  B,  No.  3. 

COMPOUND    HYBRIDS WHITE    TO    TETRA-MKST1S1.V 


^     Hepta-hypo-mono-mestisin. 


71 


^r>  Tctra-ili-:M' 


Di  tria-niestisin. 


Mono-hyper-tria-mestisiu. 


Tetra-mestisin. 


TABLE  B,  No.  4. 

Condensed  table  of  Compound  Hybrids,  showing  the  crossings  of  the  three  species,  from 
white,  Indian  and  black,  respectively,  to  tetra-costin,  tetra-mulattin  and  tetra-mestisin, 
respectively. 

NOTE. — This  table  includes  Tables  B,  Nos.  1,  2  and  3. 


16 

0 

0 

White. 

Black. 

Indian. 

r 

{ 

... 

14 

1 

1 

Hepta-hypo-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

1 

12 

2 

2 

Hexa-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

{ 

10 

3 

3 

Penta-hyper-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

... 

.  .  . 

8 

4 

4 

Tetra-di- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

r 

{ 

... 

6 

5 

5 

Tria-hypo-tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

J 

... 

4 

6 

6 

Di-tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

( 

I 

2 

7 

7 

Mono-hyper-tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

Tetra-costin. 

Tetra-mulattin. 

Tetra-mestisin. 

8  B.  and  8  I. 

8  W.  and  8  B. 

8  I.  and  8  W. 

18 


72  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMAL1UM; 

TABLE  C. 

Continuation  of  the  condensed  table  of  Compound  Hybrids,  showing  all  the  crossings 
from  tetra-costin,  tetra-mulattin  and  tetra-mestisin. 


16 

White. 

Indian. 

Black. 

{ 

12 

1 

3 

H  exa-hy  po-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

•  ... 

8 

2 

6 

Tetra-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

{ 

4 

3 

9 

Di-hyper-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

4 

12 

Di-costin. 

Di-Mulattin. 

Di-Mestisin. 

16 

White. 

Indian. 

Black. 

{ 

12 

3 

1 

Hexa-hyper-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

... 

8 

6 

2 

Tetra-tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

{ 

4 

9 

3 

Di-hypo-penta- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

12 

14 

Hexa-Costin. 

Hexa-mulattin. 

Hexa-Mestisin. 

16 

White. 

Indian. 

Black. 

{ 

8 

1 

7 

Tetra-hy  po-mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

2 

14 

Mono- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

16 

White. 

Indian. 

Black. 

{ 

8 

3 

5 

Tetra-hyper-di- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

6 

10 

Tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

16 

White. 

Indian. 

Black. 

{... 

8 

5 

3 

Tetra-hypo-tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

Penta- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

16 

White. 

Indian. 

Black. 

8 

7 

1 

Tetra-hyper-tria- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

14 

2 

Hepta- 

Costin. 

Mulattin. 

Mestisin. 

Oil,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  73 

NOTE  TO  TABLES  B,  Nos.  1,  2,  3  AND  4. — All  the  terms  used  in  these  tables,  which  were 
previously  used  in  Tables  A,  have  the  meaning  already  explained. 

h  h 

The  word  "hypo"  (from  upo,  under,)  and  hyper  (from  uper,  above,)  are  necessarily 
introduced  into  these  tables,  as  they  are  based  upon  a  division  into  10  parts  of  blood  ; 
these  words  bringing  8  parts  into  16th. 

The  whole  nomenclature  has  been  founded  upon  a  division  of  eight,  because  it  is  not 
often  desirable,  or  even  practicable,  to  carry  the  division  further. 

Examples. — "  Tetra-di-costin."  The  te.tr a  means  |  or  T^  ;  the  di  means  f  or  T%,  making 
together,  if,  the  complement  of  which  is,  necessarily,  j*ff,  which,  therefore,  need  not  be 
expressed. 

Now,  as  "costin"  means  black  and  Indian,  (not  Indian  and  black,)  the  "di,"  (i.  e.,  the 
|  or  T46-,)  must  refer  to  the  black  portions;  the  term  "tetra,"  (i.  e.,  the  f  or  T\,)  refers  1o 
the  race  mixed  with  the  costin,  and  as  this  is  black  x  Indian,  the  "tetra-di-costin"  is  a 
triple  race  in  the  proportions  of  8  X4  X4;  i,  e.,  8  white,  4  black  and  4  Indian 

NOTE  TO  TABLE  G. — All  the  terms  used  in  this  table  have  already  been  explained,  and 
are  used  in  the  same  senses. 

There  is  an  advantage  obtained  by  making  each  species  primary  in  its  turn,  as  is  done  in 
all  these  tables;  for  example,  take  the  name  "hexa-hypo  mono,"  which  is  a  mixture  of 
three  species  in  the  proportion  of  12X1x3,  counting  in  8fhs ;  the  if  reads  "hexa,"  the  -Jg-, 
(being  made  from  f  or  "mono,")  preceded  by  "hypo,"  indicating  that  it  is  less  than  |, 
that  is  to  say,  ^,  and  the  whole  making  "  hexa-hypo-mono-costin."  But  if  the  order  was 
from  white  to  black,  and  also,  from  white  to  Indian,  the  third  number  would  have  to  be 
indicated ;  and  then,  instead  of  the  word  "  hexa-hypo-mono,"  now  used,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  write  "  hexa-hypo-mono-hypo-mono,"  which  would  be  unwieldy. 

It  is  believed  that  the  tables,  as  now  presented,  indicate  all  the  shades  in  a  distinct 
manner ;  and  although  some  of  the  names  may,  at  the  first  view,  appear  to  be  long,  it  is 
submitted  that  the  same  complicated  idea  cannot  be  expressed  in  any  shorter  manner. 

THE  COVERING  OF  THE  HEADS  OF  HYBRIDS. — The  pile  of  the  head  of  human  hybrids 
does  not  exhibit  one  uniform  new  variety,  varying  from  that  of  both  parents  ;  but  gene- 
rally, perfect  filaments  which  resemble  that  of  the  one  parent,  and  other  perfect  filaments 
which  resemble  that  of  the  other  parent ;  for  example,  the  progeny  of  a  white  and  a  black 
will  have  some  perfect  oval  hairs,  and  some  perfect  eccentrically  elliptical  wool ;  so  the 
progeny  of  a  white  and  an  Indian  will  have  some  perfect  oval  hairs  and  some  perfect, 
cylindrical  hairs,  and  the  progeny  of  an  Indian  and  a  black  will  have  some  perfect  cylin- 
drical hair,  and  some  perfect  eccentrically  elliptical  wool ;  and,  even  further,  one  who  has 
in  his  veins  the  blood  of  all  these  species  will  generally  have  in  his  head  pile  belonging  to 
all  three.  Sometimes,  however,  where  the  constitutional  energy  of  one  parent  outweighs 
that  of  the  other,  only  one  species  of  pile  will  be  found. 


74  TRICIIOLOCIA  MAMMALIUM; 

This  is  in  accordance  with  the  general  laws  of  hybridism,  where  the  offsprings  some- 
times hold  an  imperfect  intermediate  place  between  both  species,  and  at  others  they  pre- 
ponderate to  one  side.  Where  the  progeny  hold  an  intermediate  place  and  they  are  bred 
together  only,  they  gradually  become  less  and  less  capable  of  reproduction,  and  after  a  few 
generations  the  race  runs  out.  Where  the  constitutional  energy  of  one  parent  outweighs 
that  of  the  other,  or  the  progeny  is  bred  towards  one  side  only,  they  pass  over  to  that  side, 
and  the  race  becomes  apparently  extinct. 

Some  Examples  of  the  Hair  of  the  Head  of  Hybrids,  belonging  to  our  Cabinet  of  Pile  :  — 

1.   Of  simple  Hybrids. 

Variety  1.  Mixture  of  white  and  black. 

1,  The  hair  of  the  head  of  a  person  represented  to  be  an  equal  mixture  of  black  and 
white,*  some  vfa  by  Tfo,  others  ^  by  ^. 

Variety  2.  Mixture  of  black  and  Indian. 

1.  The  hair  of  the  head  of  Bar  tola,  the  female  Aztec  dwarf,  exhibited  in  New  York,  in 
February,    !S52.f     Specimen   presented  by  Messrs.    Kettel   &    Moore,  of  New   York. 
Diameters  of  some  hairs,  Ti^,  others  r|T  by  ^J^. 

Variety  3.  Indian  and  white. 

Hair  of  the  head  of  Lucy  Chote,  aged  11,  Creek  American  Indian  and  white.  J  Speci- 
men presented  by  the  Rev.  R.  M.  Loughridge,  of  Tallahassee.  Diameters  of  some  hairs, 
TT<f>  and  others  T|T  by  ^. 

2.  Compound  Hybrids. 

1.  Hair  of  the  head  of  William  Hinten,  late  hair-dresser,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  father 
was  white,  and  whose  mother  was  the  progeny  of  an  Indian  and  negress.^     Specimen 
presented  by  himself.     Diameters  of  some  hairs,  ^^,  others  ^|T  by  ¥|-¥,  and  others  still 

vh  by  -sfa- 

2.  Hair  of  the  head  of  Tuh-duh-guh-mak-ke,  a  male  Ottawa  Indian,  mixture  with  negro 
and  white.     Specimen  presented  by  the  Rev.  P.  Dougherty,  of  Grand  Traverse,  Michi- 
gan.    Diameters  of  some  hairs,  ^fa,  others  ¥{^  by  jfa  ,  and  others  still  -^^  by  -%%-$. 

The  hair  of  the  head  of  Ellen  Ferryman,  who  is  £  white,  ?  Muskokee  American  Indian, 
and  i  black.  Specimen  presented  by  the  same.  Diameters  of  some  hairs,  T{g-,  others 
Tie  by  rhs>  and  others  still  -^  by  7$T. 


PILE  OF  COMPOUND  HYBRIDS.  —  Examination  of  the  Hair  of  the  Head  of  the  Compound 
Hybrid,  the  late  William  Hinten,  Hair-dresser,  of  Philadelphia.  —  His  grandfather  was  an 
Indian  of  nation,  his  grandmother  was  a  negress  and  his  father  was  a  white 

man.  Length,  from  2  inches  to  2  inches  -fa  ;  shapes,  some  oval,  others  cylindrical,  and 
others  still  eccentrically  elliptical;  diameters,  ¥{^  —  2TTxTir  —  2T¥x^iU  °f  an  incn> 
directions,  straight,  undulated  and  curled  ;  button,  sheath  and  follicle  had  none  to 
examine  ;  colors,  black,  red  and  white  (colorless)  ;  coloring  matter,  sometimes  in  the 
cortex,  formed  by  means  of  minute  gamphos,  broken  dark  colored  lines,  which  are  divided 

*  A  tetra-mulattin.  f  A  tctra-costin.  J  A  tetra-mcstisin.  i  Tetra-di  -mulattin. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 


75 


transversely  by  lines  still  darker;  intermediate  fibres,  slightly  colored;  a  coloring  matter 
also  at  other  times  in  the  centre,  interrupted. 

Trial  with  the  Trichometer  of  one  inch  of  an  Oval  Hair,  April  1st,  1849. 
With  270  grains  it  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 


" 

" 


" 
11 


330 

(4 

It 

390 

« 

u 

440 

II 

11 

450 

u 

11 

470 

tt 

II 

480 

it 

11 

506 

II 

11 

520 

u 

11 

530 

(1 

11 

540 

" 

" 

550 

u 

11 

570 

H 

11 

580 

« 

1* 

600 

" 

1  i 

610 

<( 

« 

620 

•1 

11 

630 

II 

If 

650 

" 

" 

660 

" 

" 

'670 

It 

11 

730 

II 

11 

740 

u 

11 

760 

u 

11 

780 

u 

Tr 

-fa 
-fa 
-fa 
-fa 
-fa 


" 
" 
<• 

" 
" 


" 
" 


" 
" 
" 
« 


minus 

(i 
u 
u 


A 

9^ 


s 

'go 


.8. 

0 


11 


and  broke. 


Fracture  fibrous. 

One  inch  of  another  hair  from  this  specimen,  which  was  cylindrical,  was  tried  with  the 
Trichometer  immediately  afterwards,  with  the  following  result: 

With  100  grains  it  stretched  Jj-  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      300       "  "  _2-  "  "  " 

"       400       "  "  -^.  <'  "  " 

«       550        "  "  _t^  «  «  it 

"  "  "  "  « 


" 

" 
" 


650 
700 
750 
800 
850 
900 


" 


u 
u 
(i 
11 


!< 
11 
11 
II 
II 


II 

minus 

u 
u 


*_ 


19 


70  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM  ; 


With  950  grains  it  stretched  -|-{j  of  an  inch,  elasticity  minus    '* 
"    1,000       "  "  f$  "  "  "       is. 

"    1,050       "  "  ££  "  "  "       i£ 


"    1,100       "  "  1$  "  "  " 


"  "  £1  "  "  "       II 

"       1,200  "  "  11  '<  «  "  .2;; 

"    1,250        "  "  A|-  "  "  " 

"    1,300        "  "  *%  '•  "  "       |f 

"    1,350       "     broke. 

The  peculiarity  of  these  hairs  is,  that  they  separately  partake  of  the  characters  of  the 
three  classes.  The  oval  shape,  the  curled  direction  and  central  coloring  matter,  of  the  first 
class  ;  the  cylindrical  shape,  straight  direction,  and  colored  cortex,  of  the  second  class, 
and  the  undulated  direction,  black  and  red  mixture  of  colors  and  colored  fibres,  of  the  third 
class.  The  very  great  discrepancy  in  their  ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity  is  also  very 
striking,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  two  above  tables. 

Of  the  Classification  of  the  Lower  Animals  by  their  Pile.  —  We  have  a  considerable 
amount  of  matter  upon  this  subject,  collected,  but  have  not  here  room  for  its  insertion.  — 
(See  titles  "  Button,"  and  "  Coloring  Matter.") 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  77 


CHAPTER     IV. 

OF  THE  COLOR  OF  PILE. — On  the  head  of  man  there  are  various  tints  and  shades  of 
gradation  from  black  to  brown,  red,  yellow  and  white. 

OF  MELANIC*  OR  BLACK  HAIR. — Dr.  Prichard,  who  contends  for  the  unity  of  mankind, 
describes  three  varieties,  viz  :  the  melanic,  or  black-haired,  the  Xanthous,  or  yellow-haired, 
and  the  Albino,  or  white-haired.  But  he  is  entirely  mistaken,  for  black  hair  belongs  to 
the  cylindrical  and  the  eccentrically  elliptical-piled  man,  and  is  found  with  the  oval-haired,f 
and  the  Albino  is  found  in  two  if  not  all  three  of  these  species.  (See  post.) 

OF  THE  ORIGINAL  COLOR  OF  HAIR. — Dr.  Prichard  considers  the  Melanic  the  natural 
and  original  color  of  hair  of  the  head  of  man.J 

Van  Amringe,  in  answer,  justly  remarks,  that  the  departure  from  the  natural 
course  of  birth,  among  negroes,  is  always  from  black  to  white,  so  that,  according  to  this 
theory,  the  red  and  yellow  colors  of  hair  are  unaccounted  for. 

Bulfon,  with  about  as  much  reason,  contended  that  white  was  the  original  color  of  pile, 
which  (he  says)  has  been  varied  by  climate,  food  and  manners,  to  yellow,  red,  brown 
and  black.  Other  writers  have  imagined  that  originally  there  was  but  one  colored  fleece 
on  sheep,  and  that  was  black;  and,  strange  to  say,  they  date  the  multiplication  of  colors 
to  the  time  of  the  experiments  of  Jacob  upon  the  sheep  of  Laban;  overlooking  the  obvious 
objection,  that  the  promise  to  give  the  ring-stroked  and  grizzled  implies  that  such  varieties 
at  that  time  existed. 

A  writer  in  an  English  annual  of  agriculture  says  that  he  has  frequently  had  12  to  14 
black  lambs  in  his  flock,  although  he  never  kept  a  black  ram  or  ewe ,  from  which  he 
draws  the  conclusion  that  the  original  color  of  sheep  was  black,  and  that  art  alone  has 
produced  white  wool ;  and  he  opines  that  were  these  animals  turned  wild  they  would 
return  again  to  their  original  color.  A  much  more  reasonable  conclusion  is,  that  his  sheep 
are  hybrids,  and  that  one  ancestor,  in  a  remote  degree,  was  black.  It  is  a  well  ascertained 
fact  that  there  are  at  the  present  time  wild  sheep  that  are  white.  No  farmer  purposely 
plants  red  Indian  corn  (zea  maize,)  yet  we  have  never  seen  a  field  of  Indian  corn  where 
there  were  not  some  red  spikes.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence  for  both  parents  of 
the  oval-haired  species,  to  have  black  hair,  and  for  one  of  the  children  to  have  red  hair. 

*  From  "  Mclas,"  black  or  dark,  neuter  "melan." 

f  Van  Amringe  is  of  opinion  that  ,rffths  of  mankind  have  black  pile. 

{  This  is  not  an  original  idea  of  this  gentleman. 


78  TKICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM: 

BLACK  HAIR  NO  MARK  OF  STRENTGTH. — Among  the  last  mentioned  species  it  is  generally 
supposed  that  black  hair  is  indicative  of  strength ;  but  the  strongest  hairs  we  have  found 
are  brown.  It  took  1,323  grains  to  break  the  hair  of  the  head  of  the  Quaker  giant  who 
was  exhibited  in  this  city  in  1848,  and  1,373  to  break  his  wife's.  The  brown  hair  of  Mr. 
\Villiam  Swain,  took  1,573  grains  to  break  it. 

OF  THE  VARIANCE  IN  COLOR  BETWEEN  THE  HAIR  AND  EYES  OF  MAN. — Others  have 
supposed  that,  in  the  same  species,  a  predisposition  to  madness  is  to  be  found  among  those 
who  have  dark  hair,  especially  if  at  the  same  time  they  have  light  eyes.  Dr.  Benjamin 
Rush,  (in  Med.  Enq.  and  Observ.,  upon  the  Diseases  of  the  Mind,)  says,  "  Mr.  Halsam 
informs  us  that  this  was  the  case  in  205  out  of  265  patients  in  the  Bethlehem  Hospital. 
He  intimates  that  it  was  possibly  from  their  consisting  chiefly  of  the  natives  of  England, 
in  whom  that  color  of  the  hair  is  general;  but  the  same  connection  between  madness  and 
dark  colored  hair  has  been  discovered  in  the  maniacs  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  who 
consist  of  persons  from  three  or  four  different  countries,  or"  of  descendants  who  inherit 
their  various  physical  characters.  Of  nearly  70  patients  who  were  examined  at  my 
request,  by  Dr.  Van  Dyke,  in  our  Hospital,  in  the  year  1810,  with  a  reference  to  this  fact, 
all  except  one  had  dark  colored  hair.  In  the  month  of  April,  1812,  I  requested  Dr.  Van 
Dyke  to  direct  his  inquiries  more  particularly  to  the  color  of  the  eyes  in  the  maniacal 
department  of  our  Hospital.  He  executed  my  request  with  great  care  and  correctness, 
and  discovered  that  56  out  of  79  of  them  had  light  eyes,  of  which  number  but  six  had 
fair  hair." 

Hoping  to  obtain  some  useful  information  upon  this  subject,  we  addressed  a  circular  to 
the  heads  of  the  various  Lunatic  Asylums  in  the  United  States,  but  we  have  received  but 
one  answer,  which  we  here  introduce. 

"WESTERN  ASYLUM,  Va.,  June  15,  1850. 
My  Dear  Sir : — 

Yours,  without  date,  was  received  some  weeks  since,  and  not  answered  earlier  because  of  my  many  engagements.  I 
had  not  considered  insanity  in  its  connection  with  the  color  of  the  hair  and  eyes,  and,  of  course,  arn  not  prepared  to  express 
any  opinion  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  views  of  Dr.  Hush,  as  contained  in  the  extract  furnished  by  you.  In  reply  to  your 
other  queries  I  have  to  answer  as  follows : 

1.  Patients  now  in  this  Institution,  2G5 

But  that  you  might  have  a  larger  number,  from  whom  to  derive  your  inferences,  I  have,  in  order  to  answer  your  2d  and 
3d  questions,  examined  our  register  and  find,  that  since  the  IGth  day  of  April,  1840,  there  have  been  received  into  the 
Institution,  (patients,)  -  .  -  320 

Of  these,  dark  hair  and  dark  ej'es,    -  102 

Dark  hair  and  light  eyes,         -  -      96 

198 

Light  hair,     -  128 

In  haste,  and  respectfully  yours, 

FRANCIS  T.  STRIBLING. 

OF  BROWN  PILE. — The  English  word  brown,  is  from  the  Saxon,  "bran,"  where  it 
generally  means  the  color  produced  upon  the  skin  of  a  white  man  by  the  action  of  the 
sun.  The  French  also  call  it  "brun,"  and  define  it  to  be,  "  le  colour  tirans  sur  le  noir." 


OK,  A  TUKATISE  ON   PILK.  79 

Hair  of  some  shades  of  this  color  is  sometimes  called  "  auburne,"  and  at  oilier  times 
"  chestnut."    The  black  hair  of  the  mound  and  mummy  American  Indians  fades  to  brown. 

OF  RED  HAIR. — Smith,  (in  Nat  Hist,  of  the  Human  Species,  p.  288,  iii  note,)  says 
that  "red  hair  belongs  exclusively  to  Northern  Asia  and  Europe.  This  color  is  not  much 
esteemed,  and  the  number  of  persons  belonging  to  the  oval-haired  species  who  have  it  is 
probably  less  than  that  of  any  other  color. 

Josephus  tells  us  that  the  first  man,  Adam,  was  so  called  because  he  was  made  of  red 
earth.  It  is  quite  as  rational  a  conclusion  that  it  was  because  he  had  red  hair.  Esau,  we 
are  told,  was  red  all  over,  like  a  hairy  garment,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  was  red  haired. 
The  ancient  Germans  were  celebrated  for  their  red  hair  and  blue  eyes.  Bichat  says  that 
the  dislike  to  red  hair  is  not  only  that  it  generally  accompanies  an  unhappy  temperament, 
but  because  the  only  humor  which  it  exsudes  is  fetid. 

OF  YELLOW  HAIR. — The  word  yellow  is  derived  from  the  Belgian  "  gheleuwe,"  where 
it  means  the  color  of  gold.  When  yellow  hair  is  very  light  it  is  called  blonde  or  flaxen. 
An  ancient  painting  found  at  Thebes,  represents  the  shepherds  or  Hycksohos  as  having 
fair  hair  and  blue  eyes. 

The  Celts,  Ancient  Saxons,  Danes,  Normans,  Caledonians,  and  Gauls,  had  yellow  and 
flaxen  hair.  The  ancient  Irish  had  fair  hair ;  so  had  the  Scots  of  king  Malcolm's  time. 
The  prevailing  color  of  the  hair  of  the  Northern  Russians  is  very  fair.  Penqueville 
speaks  of  the  flaxen  hair  of  the  Spartan  females,  and  of  the  blonde  men.  Blonde  hair  is 
generally  (in  adults)  emblematic  of  feebleness  and  luxury. 

OF  WHITE  HAIR. — There  are  two  kinds  of  pile  that  is  called  "  white,"  viz  :  that  which 
has  a  white  coloring  matter,  and  that  which  is  colorless. 

To  the  first  of  the  above  varieties  belongs  the  pile  of  the  Albinos,  for  1'Heretier  analysed 
this  pile,  and  found  in  it  two  kinds  of  fat,  (as  he  calls  it,)  one  liquid  and  destitute  of  color, 
and  the  other  solid  and  white,  like  strarine.  The  colorless  pile  is  what  is  improperly 
called  grey. 

OF  ALBINO  PILE. — We  have,  in  our  cabinet,  two  varieties  of  the  pile  of  the  Albino; 
one  of  the  oval-haired  species,  which  is  white  with  a  very  slight  tinge  of  yellow;  the  other 
of  the  eccentrically  elliptical  species,  which  is  dirty-white. 

The  word  "  Albino"  was  originally  applied  to  some  individuals  found  upon  the  coast  of 
Africa,  who,  though  descendants  of  negroes,  are  said  to  have  had  a  pale,  pinkey,  and 
unnatural  tint  of  skin,  soft  white  pile,  rose-colored  iris  and  red  pupil.*  It  is  now  extended 

*  "  Albino."     Negro  blane,  Homme  extremement  blanc,  ne  do  parents  noir.     (Roquettc  Diet.  Portugais  et  Francais.) 

"Albino."  A  term  applied  to  white  people  begotten  by  a  white  man  and  a  negress  or  mulatrcss.  (Spanish  and  English 
Dictionary.) 

"  Albinos."  Non  donne  par  les  Portugais  a  des  homines  qui  au  caractero  de  figure  do  negro  joignent  une  blancheur 
blasarde  et  hidieuse.  (French  Dictionary  of  the  Academy,  1814.) 

"  Albino."  Na  adj.  El  quo  dc  padres  ncgros  6  de  casta  do  ellos  nace  miiy  bianco  y  rubio.  Ex  nigra  stirpe  albus  homo. 
Animal  de  pela  bianco  sobrc  piel  rojiza  6  blanca.  Albincus. — Especic  de  houibres  de  carnes  y  pelo  enterimcnte  blancos,  y 
de  vista  muy  dobil  albicolor.  (Diet  of  the  Spanish  Acad.) 

20 


80  T1UCI10LOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

to  all  persons  of  whatever  nation  or  country  who  have  silky,  dirty  or  reddish- white  colored 
pile,  a  pale  reddish-white  skin,  red  pupils  and  weak  sight.  The  number  of  these  indi- 
viduals is  not  great;  Van  Amringe*  computes  that  they  do  not  exceed  one  in  a  million  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  earth ;  yet  Dr.  Prichard  treats  them  as  a  distinct  race.  In  his 
researches  on  the  physical  history  of  man,  he  divides  the  human  family  into  the  Melanic 
or  black-haired,  the  Xanthus  or  yellow-haired,  and  the  Albino  or  W7hite-h aired! 

No.  1.  Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  head  of  the  White  Albino,  Mary 
McWilliams,  aged  twenty-Jive,  born  in  Ireland. — Specimen  presented  by  Dr.  Klapp,  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  the  2d  of  March,  1849. 

Length,  (artificial,)  4  inches;  shape,  oval,  compressed,  tapering;  for  example,  a  yoxing 
filament,  one  inch  long,  has  for  its  diameter,  at  the  posterior  extremity,  ¥^  by  ^7,  in  the 
centre,  ^^  by  ¥|^,  and  at  the  apex,  -5-^-$  of  an  inch;  color,  white,  with  a  slight  tinge  of 
yellow;  lustre,  ^considerable ;  direction,  flowing;  inclination,  we  had  no  means  of  ascer- 
taining. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — One  inch  of  filament,  (the  Barometer  being  39,  the 
Thermometer  being  72,  and  the  Dew-point  being  68,) 

With  170  grains  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  and  when  the  weight  was  removed  the  elasticity 

was  entire. 

"     220       "  "          8<V 

"     270      "  "         -gV  "  minus  -Jg-  of  an  inch. 

"     320       "  "         Jg-  "  "  " 

"     470      "  "          9<V 

"     520       "  "         -gV 

"     570       "  "          ft  "  "       9% 

"     620       "  "          ||  "  "       || 

"     670       "  "          ||  "  "       || 

"     720       "  "          £#  "  "       ff 

"     770       "  "          ||  "  "       || 

"     820       "  "          ||  "  "      H 

"     870  it  broke. 

Fracture,  abrupt;  button,  sheath  and  follicle,  we  had  none  to  examine;  shaft,  uneven, 
bulged,  flattened  and  sunken  in  different  places;  cortex,  transversely  striated  the  whole 
length  of  the  shaft ;  ribbons  of  cortex,  artificially  detached  from  the  body  of  the  shaft, 
exhibit  transverse  divisions,  the  largest  portion  measuring  ^^  of  an  inch;  intermediate 
fibres,  white,  lustrous,  and  with  a  diameter  of  from  5- -Air  *°  TTrVir  °f  an  incn>  the  mass  of 
fibres  divided  into  sections  or  nodes ;  when  the  shaft  is  artificially  crushed,  these  fibres  are 
distinctly  seen;  they  are  white,  lustrous,  and  partially  separated;  but  no  canal  or  coloring 
matter  is  to  be  observed  through  the  interstices! ;  centre,  has  a  canal  for  the  coloring 

*  In  Natural  History  of  Man,  p.  71. 

t  The  same  experiment  was  tried  upon  the  other  specimens,  and  the  same  results  ensued ;  but  when  the  wool  of  a  pure 
negro,  or  the  black  wool  of  sheep,  was  similarly  treated,  the  piles  were  black. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  81 

matter,  which  is  greenish  white,  opaque  and  interrupted ;  when  the  cortex  and  intermediate 
fibres  are  artificially  made  transparent,  the  coloring  matter  is  seen  collected  in  spires  and 
tangled  threads  of  a  plumbeous  color,  interrupted  by  vacant  spaces  in  the  canal ;  apex, 
very  pointed — none  furcated ;  disks  or  transverse  sections,  plumbeous  colored,  with  some- 
times a  minute  central  speck,  which  is  white  and  opaque. 

No.  2.  Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  head  of  the  Albino  of  the 
while,  species,  James  Spencer,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  aged  twenty-one  years,  whose  father 
had  brown,  and  whose  mother  had  black  hair. — Specimen  presented  by  himself,  in  1849. 

Length,  (artificial,)  2^  inches;  shape,  oval,  TT\¥  by  ¥£r  of  an  inch;  tapering;  for 
example,  a  young  filament,  1  inch  long,  measured,  at  its  lower  extremity,  ^\-$,  in  the 
centre,  ^T,  and  at  the  apex,  ^Vo  °f  an  incn  ',  color,  white,  with  a  very  slight  tinge  of 
straw  color;  lustre,  considerable ;  direction,  flowing. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — The  Barometer,  Thermometer  and' Dew-point  being 
the  same  as  before  stated,  one  inch  of  filament 

With  170  grains  stretched  ^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire  when  the  weight  was  removed. 
"     400       "  "  -fa  "  "  "  " 

"     520       "  "  — ^  "  "  "  " 

"          670  "  "  — $x-  "  "  "  " 

"     725       "  "  J-$  "  "  minus  -fa 

"     970  it  broke. 

Fracture,  abrupt,  a  small  portion  of  the  cortex  being  abraded  ;  button,  sheath  and  follicle, 
none  ;  shaft,  uneven,  bulged,  flattened  and  sunken ;  cortex,  transversely  striated  the  length 
of  the  shaft,  the  striae  numerous ;  intermediate  fibres — having  artificially  removed  the 
cortex,  the  intermediate  fibres  are  exposed  to  view;  they  are  divided  transversely  into 
sections  or  nodes,  of  the  following  lengths,  viz:  T|T,  T^¥  and  T£T  of  an  inch;  the  inter- 
stices are  bands  which  are  originally  white,  but  which,  by  exposure  to  the  atmosphere, 
turn  dark  colored;  central  canal,  upon  artificially  rendering  the  cortex  and  intermediate 
fibres  transparent,  the  coloring  matter  is  seen  consisting  of  portions  of  unequal  sizes  of 
spires  or  threads,  of  a  plumbeous  color;  the  mass  has  a  diameter  of  ^-^V^  of  an  inch,  but 
the  threads  are  too  small  for  measurement ;  disks  or  transverse  sections,  show  a  plumbeous 
color,  either  continuous  or  with  a  minute  central  speck. 

No.  3  Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  head  of  the  Albino  Boy,  of  the 
black  race,  ten  years  old,  both  of  whose  parents  are  black. — Specimen  presented  by  Doctor 
Nott,  of  Mobile,  Alabama. 

Length,  (natural,)  1  inch  and  two-tenths;  shape,  eccentrically  elliptical;  diameter,  -^fa 
by  ¥£g-  of  an  inch;  tapering;  for  instance,  a  young  filament,  measuring  one  inch  and  two- 
tenths,  had  the  following  diameters,  viz :  at  the  lower  extremity,  ^^,  in  the  centre,  -g|T, 
and  at  the  apex,  ijVff  °f  an  inch;  color,  dirty,  reddish-white;  lustre,  none;  direction, 
crisped  and  frizzled,  and  spirally  curled;  diameter  of  the  curls,  -^  of  an  inch;  inclina- 
tion, we  had  no  means  of  ascertaining. 


82  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — One  inch  of  filament,  the  Barometer,  Thermometer 
and  Dew-point,  being  as  above  stated, 

With  160  grains  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     470     "  "  g\ 

"     570     "  "  -3$ 

"     670     "  "  -fo  "  " 

"     820     "  "  Jfr  "  " 

"     870     "  "  -fo 

"     920     "  "  J-4  "  " 

"     970     "  "          i£  "  minus  -^  of  an  inch. 

"1,020     "  "  i|  "      ^ 

"  1,070     "  "  f|  "  "      |-a 

"  1,220     "  it  broke. 

Fracture,  splintery;  button,  hooked,  knotted,  and  otherwise  distorted;  one  of  them, 
besides  the  main  body,  had  two  others  of  smaller  dimensions;  sheath,  large,  white,  opaque, 
and  sometimes  divided;  follicle,  have  none  to  examine;  shaft,  uneven,  bulged,  flattened 
and  sunken;  cortex,  striated,  striae  sometimes  intersecting  at  right  angles;  intermediate 
fibres,  white  and  lustrous ;  diameter  of  one  of  the  smallest,  ^ -Jj-o  °f  an  in°h  J  central 
canal,  with  detached  portions  of  plumbeous  colored  spires  or  threads  of  coloring  matter ; 
the  greatest  dimensions  of  a  mass,  ^-gW  of  an  inch ;  the  threads  too  minute  for  measure- 
ment ;  apex,  pointed,  furcated,  or  bushy;  disks,  plumbeous  color  throughout. 

No.  4.  Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  Head  of  the  Albino  Boy,  of  the 
Hack  race,  of  Gape  May,  New  Jersey,  aged  12  years.  Specimen  presented  by  Mrs.  Gar- 
wood.  His  father  is  black  and  his  mother  a  dark  mulatto;  they  have  five  children,  of 
whom  three,  viz :  two  males  and  a  female,  are  Albinos,  the  other  two  are  black  and  have 
negroes'  wool.  Length,  (natural,)  2  inches  and  -j^ ;  shape,  eccentrically  elliptical  with  a 
diameter  of  ¥^  g-  by  -^|T  of  an  inch,  tapering ;  for  example,  a  young  filament  measuring  2T^ 
inches,  had,  as  its  inferior  extremity,  ^y,  in  the  centre  ¥|T,  and  at  the  apex  y^Vir  °f  an 
inch ;  color,  dirty  white ;  lustre,  none ;  direction,  frizzled  and  spirally  curled ;  diameter 
of  the  curls,  Jj-  of  an  inch;  inclination,  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  with  certainty, 
but  are  informed  that  it  is  right-angled  with  the  epidermis. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — One  inch  of  filament,  the  Barometer,  Thermometer 
and  Dew-point  being  as  before  stated, 

With  160  grains  it  stretched  ^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
<•       220       "  "  — 2  "  "  " 

"       270       "  "  JL  "  "  " 

"       370       "  "  ^  "  "  " 

"       420       "  "  5  "  "  " 

"      470       "  "  £.g.  "  minus  -^ 

"      52°       "  "  U  "  "       A 

"      570       "  "  |-£  "  "       1|- 

"      620       "  "  o-  '•  S-A 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  83 


2  ft 
"90 


With  670  grains  it  stretched  ||  of  an  inch,     minus 

"          >7On  "  '<  4A  "  "  2i 

'  ^  ~9  0~  90 

<'          *)"7n  "  "  48  «  "  ".  " 

•  *"  "ij  0  9  It" 

"         fiOn          "  "  6<X  "  "  S3. 

~  **\)  u  [)  y  0 

"      870  it  broke. 

Fracture,  bushy ;  button,  sheath  and  follicle,  have  none  to  examine;  shaft,  uneven, 
bulged,  flattened  and  sunken;  cortex,  striated,  strise,  numerous  and  confused;  intermediate 
fibres,  white,  lustrous,  diameter  of  one  of  the  smallest  -$-£$-§  of  an  inch;  centre,  a  cnnal 
enclosing  coloring  matter  which  is  white  with  a  slight  tinge  of  yellow ;  interrupted 
diameters,  yg3^  of  an  inch ;  when  the  cortex  and  intermediate  fibres  are  artificially  made 
transparent,  the  coloring  matter  is  seen  in  plumbeous  masses  of  spires  or  threads ;  diame- 
ter of  the  masses,  ^-gVo"  °f  an  inch,  the  threads  too  minute  for  measurement ;  apex,  very 
pointed  ;  disks,  plumbeous  colored  with  a  minute  light  colored  speck  in  the  centre. 

Albinos  were,  until  lately,  so  little  known  in  Europe,  that  Goldsmith  describes  two  that 
he  saw  in  London  as  "white  negroes."  He  says  he  found  the  color  to  be  exactly  like  an 
European,  the  visage  white  and  ruddy,  and  the  lips  of  a  proper  redness;  but  that  there 
were  sufficient  marks  to  convince  him  of  its  descent.  The  hair  was  white  and  woolly,  and 
very  unlike  any  thing  he  had  before  seen.  The  iris  of  the  eye  was  yellow,  inclining  to 
red  ;  the  nose  was  flat,  exactly  resembling  that  of  a  negro  ;  and  the  lips  thick  and  promi- 
nent. No  doubt  therefore  remained  of  the  child  having  been  born  of  negro  parents  ;  and 
the  person  who  showed  it  had  attestations  to  convince  the  most  incredulous. 

Whether  any  among  the  American  Indians? — We  have  no  pile  of  an  American  Indian 
Albino,  but  notice  that  Wafer  states,  that  he  saw  many  of  them  among  the  native  Ameri- 
can Indians  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  He  says  that  they  are  not  a  distinct  race,  but  they 
are  descended  from  their  copper-colored  Indian  parents.  And  in.Latham,  Nat.  Hist,  of  the 
Varieties  of  Man,  p.  395,  it  is  said  that  many  of  the  Luni  Indians,  of  California,  are  Albinos ; 
which  he  thinks  is  probably  the  origin  of  the  report  that  there  is  a  race  of  white  Indians 
in  that  quarter. 

Martin,  (in  Hist,  of  Man,  p.  166,)  says  that  Albinos  appear  among  all  nations;  they 
occur  among  the  fairest  of  Europe  and  the  darkest  of  Africa,  in  Java,  Ceylon  and  the 
Continent  of  India.  Captain  Cook  saw  them  in  Tahiti,  and  Winterbottom  mentions  hav- 
ing seen  them  at  Sierre  Leone  and  the  neighboring  parts  of  the  African  Coast.* 

Mr.  Jefferson,!  mentioned  four  cases  of  Albinos  known  to  himself,  and  three  others  of 
whom  he  was  informed,  all  of  them  descended  from  negro  parents  with  no  mixture  of 
white  blood.  There  are  also  Albinos  among  the  lower  animals.  This  pile  it  is  our  inten- 
tion to  examine  and  describe  at  some  future  day. 

Inferences  from  Examinations. — It  appears  from  the  foregoing  examinations  : — 1st.  That 

*  Albinism  is  believed  to  bo  more  frequent  in  the  wooly-haired  races  of  man ;  but  in  the  sandy  plains  of  the  North-West 
of  Europe,  the  same  appearances  occur,  though  not  quite  with  the  marks  of  disease ;  it  is  mere  absence  of  coloring  matter  in 
the  system.  Among  Mongolia  nations  it  is  unknown,  or  very  rare,  and  it  is  equally  so  with  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  America. 
(Smith's  Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Human  Species,  100.) 

t  Notes  on  Virginia,  159. 

21 


84  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

the  covering  of  the  head  of  the  Albinos  is  pile.  Its  general  form,  and  its  ductility  and 
elasticity  are  sufficient  to  entitle  it  to  a  place  in  that  category.  2d.  That  specimens  No. 
1  and  2  by  their  oval  shape,  flowing  direction,  acute  inclination,  and  being  formed  of  three 
distinct  parts,  (one  of  which  is  a  central  canal  for  the  conveyance  of  coloring  matter,) 
entitle  the  individual  upon  whom  they  grow,  respectively,  to  be  ranked  with  the  oval- 
haired  species  of  men.  But  that  the  filaments  gradually  tapering  from  the  inferior  to  the 
superior  extremity,  the  unevenness  of  surface  of  the  shaft,  and  the  disposition  of  the  coloring 
matter  in  the  spires  and  threads,  show  that  they  are  a  distinct  variety  of  that  species. 
3d.  That  specimens  No.  3  and  4,  by  their  eccentrically  elliptical  shape,  crisped,  frizzled, 
and  spirally  curled  direction,  and  probably,  by  the  inclination,  entitle  the  individuals,  upon 
whose  heads  they  grow,  respectively,  to  be  ranked  with  the  eccentrically  elliptical-haired 
species.  But  that  their  gradual  tapering,  their  unevenness  of  surface,  and  the  disposition  of 
the  coloring  matter  in  a  central  canal,  show  that  they  are  a  distinct  variety  of  that  species. 

The  cause  of  the  production  of  Albinos  is  unknown ;  but  it  is  generally,  (and  we  think 
erroneously,)  attributed  to  imperfect  generation,  for  the  pile  of  the  black  Albino  is,  scienti- 
fically speaking,  more  perfect  than  the  pile  of  the  common  negro,  in  having  a  distinct 
apparatus,  viz :  a  central  canal  for  the  conveyance  of  the  coloring  matter. 

L'Heretier  analysed  the  pile  of  the  Albino,  and  found  therein  two  kinds  of  fat,  one  liquid 
and  destitute  of  color,  and  the  other  solid  and  white  like  stearine.  (Traite.  de  Chem. 
Path.)  It  was,  probably,  the  latter  which  we  saw  under  the  microscope. 

Mr.  Jefferson  is  of  opinion  that  the  cause  which  produces  the  Albino  is  more  incident  to 
the  female  than  the  male  sex ;  but  he  was  not  acquainted  with  a  sufficient  number  of  cases 
to  enable  him  to  establish  such  a  general  rule,  nor  is  he  confirmed  by  succeeding  observers. 

Martin,  (in  Hist,  of  Man,  p.  166,)  says,  that  "  the  constitution  of  the  Albino  is  feeble." 
In  examining  the  four  specimens  for  ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity,  we  found  that  the  fila- 
ments were  possessed  of  a  fair  proportion  of  those  properties  which  are  considered  as  tests 
of  vital  strength. 

This  author  also  states,  that  their  intellectual  powers  are  often,  if  not  always,  of  a  com- 
parative inferiority.  We  have  no  means  of  judging  of  the  correctness  of  this  remark.  It 
is  said  that  "  Albinos  breeding  with  Albinos  produce  their. kind,  but  that  where  bred  with 
the  ordinary  race  the  peculiarity  disappears  in  the  descendants ;  breaking  out,  however, 
now  and  then,  as  if  the  tendency  lurked  in  the  blood."  (Martin,  Hist,  of  Man,  p.  166.) 

OF  THE  CHANGE  OF  SHADE  OF  COLOR  AT  PUBERTY. — Hair  of  the  head  of  the  oval- 
haired  species  is  generally  lighter  colored  in  youth,  than  in  after  years;  this  change, 
probably,  takes  place  at  the  period  of  puberty.  Blonde  hair  becomes  chestnut,  chestnut 
turns  nearly  black,  and  red  hair  becomes  several  degrees  darker  shaded.  The  cause  of 
this  change  is  not  known. 

OF  MONOCHROMATIC  AND  POLYCHROMATIC  PILE. — The  hair  of  the  head  of  man,  before 
it  becomes  what  is  generally,  but  improperly,  termed  "grey"  (i.e.  loses  its  original  color,) 
are  con-colored;  but  there  are  occasionally  exceptions.  We  have,  in  our  collection,  a  lock 
from  the  head  of  Dr.  J.  K.  Potter,  aged  28,  of  Vermont,  which  contains  four  different  colored 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  85 

hairs.  Among  the  lower  animals,  variety  in  the  color  of  pile,  sometimes  in  different  fila- 
ments upon  the  same  animal,  and  at  others  exhibiting  a  variety  of  colors  in  the  same 
filament,  is  not  uncommon.  '  The  royal  tiger  of  the  east  lias  pile  of  a  fawn-colored  ground, 
striped  cross-wise,  with  black  ;  the  jaguar  has  also  a  fawn-colored  ground,  but  he  has  four 
ranges  of  black  spots,  in  the  form  of  eyes ;  the  panther  has  six  or  seven  black  spots;  the 
leopard  has  ten  rows;  the  guepard  has  small  black  spots;  the  zebra  has  transverse  bands 
of  blackish-brown  color  upon  a  fawn-colored  ground;  the  couagge  has  the  same  bands, 
but  they  are  confined  to  the  shoulders  and  back.  The  silver  fox  has  black  hair,  slightly 
tipped  with  white;  the  spines  of  the  porcupine  are  black,  brown  and  white;  so  are  those 
of  the  pecary ;  the  white  hair  of  the  possum  and  raccoon  is  tipped  with  black ;  the  brown 
hair  of  a  squirrel's  tail  is  tipped  with  white,  &c.,  &c.  But  the  most  extraordinary  pro- 
duction of  this  kind  is  the  golden  mole,  (chrysocholores,)  which  is  said  to  have  hair  of 
a  green  color,  changeable  into  a  bronze  or  copper  tinge.  (See  Elem.  de  Zool.,  p.  298.) 
We  have  had  no  opportunity  of  examining  this  pile,  but  conjecture  that  these  changeable 
hues  are  occasioned  by  the  various  reflections  of  light  from  the  scales  of  the  cortex. 

There  appears  to  be  much  greater  variety  in  the  colors  of  domesticated  animals  than  in 
wild  ones,*  and  some  are  of  opinion  that,  in  regard  to  the  wild  ones,  those  which  are  inca- 
pable of  being  tamed,  retain  always  the  same  color  and  markings. 

Female  domestic  cats  often  have  hair  of  three  colors,  but  the  males  are  limited  to  two. 
When  an  animal  has  two  distinctly  colored  hairs,  it  is  found,  as  a  general  rule,  that  the 
darkest  is  above  and  the  lightest  below ;  but  the  badger  (meles)  is  an  exception,  for  he 
has  grey  above  and  black  below. 

OF  CHANGES  IN  THE  COLOR  OF  PlLE,  AT  TIMES  OTHER  THAN  PUBERTY. 

"  Can  the  leopard  change  his  spots  ?" — Jer.  13:  23. 

M.  Destress  reports  the  following  singular  case:  "A  young  lady  (only  13  years  of  age) 
who  had  never  suffered  except  from  temporary  pains  in  the  head,  in  the  winter  of  1817-18, 
discovered  that  many  places  on  her  head  were  becoming  bald,  and  in  six  months  she  had 
not  a  single  hair.  In  the  month  of  January,  1819,  there  appeared  upon  the  part  of  the 
scalp,  which  first  became  bald,  a  sort  of  black  wool,  the  rest  had  brown  hair.  A  part  of 
this  new  integument  fell  out  when  it  became  two  or  three  inches  long;  the  rest  changed 
[lost  its]  color,  at  a  distance  greater  or  less  from  the  point,  becoming  chestnut  in  the 
remaining  part."  The  account  continues  with  the  remark  that,  "it  was  strange  to  see  a 
hair  half  white  and  half  chestnut!"  (Diet,  des  Sci.  Med.,  v.  43,  p.  502.) 

The  above  report  is  too  imperfect  to  afford  much  light  to  science.  "A  sort  of  black 
wool."  We  should  have  been  informed  what  sort.  It  might  have  been  downy  hairs. 
From  the  age,  and  a  part  of  the  new  hair  falling  out,  and  the  rest  losing  its  color,  we 
would  attribute  the  phenomenon  to  the  changes  of  puberty. 

*  Livingston  says  that  the  wild  ones  wear  an  unvaried  uniform,  with  now  and  then  such  an  exception  as  to  afford  a  hint 
to  man  of  the  means  of  grafting  a  permanent  change  upon  accidental  variations.  (Essay  upon  Sheep.) 

Van  Amringo  says  that  the  California  and  South  American  wild  ox  and  wild  horse  hides,  have  less  variety  of  color  than 
our  domestic  ones. 


86  T1UCIIOLOCIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

President  Smith  (in  Essay  on  Man,  p.  92,)  tells  of  a  negro  whose  skin,  from  a  deep 
black,  turned  to  a  healthy  white;  the  white  color  extending  under  the  pile,  where  the 
rvoolly  substance  disappeared,  and  a  fine,  straight  hair,  of  silky  softness,  succeeded.  But 
Van  Amringe  thinks  there  must  be  some  mistake  in  collecting  the  facts  of  this  case ;  and 
we  think  that  much  allowance  is  to  be  made  for  one  who  was  anxious  to  establish  a 
favorite  theory. 

* 

OF  ATHIPILIE. — L'Heritier  says,  that "  white  or  colorless  hair  sometimes  becomes  colored, 
which  phenomenon  he  calls  Athipilie;  and  that  the  assumed  color  is  not  always  the  same 
it  was  originally!"  He  says,  that  "sometimes  this  change  is  effected  all  over  the  scalp  at 
the  same  time;  at  others  it  is  progressive  and  gradual,  as  the  black  hair  grows  out  from 
the  root;  so  that  you  may  see,  on  the  same  head,  a  hair  partly  white  and  partly  colored." 
We  have  never  witnessed  any  such  phenomenon,  unless  he  alludes  to  the  young  hairs 
which  grow  out  of  the  skins  of  old  heads,  of  the  original  color  of  the  hair,  and  which 
turn  white,  (colorless,)  commencing  at  the  point. 

Mr.  Wm.  H.  Elsegood,  of  this  city,  sent  us  a  lock  of  light  brown  hair,  laken  from  his 
head,  which  he  assures  us  grew  upon  a  bald  place  from  which  his  former  grey  hair  fell, 
the  skin  having  been  stimulated  by  a  wash  of  his  own  invention.  We  examined  this 
new  pile,  and  find  it  to  be  oval,  with  a  diameter  of  T-}^  by  ^^T;  sound  and  healthy. 


OF  PILE  LOSING  ITS  COLOR. — Hair  sometimes  loses  its  color  suddenly,  and  at  others 
gradually. 

Of  the  sudden  loss  of  color. — Fenchterstehen  (in  Med.  Phy.  Cbo.)  says,  that  as  a  special 
effect  of  grief,  in  excess,  arises  the  well-known  phenomenon,  when  the  hair,  more  or  less 
rapidly,  turns  grey.  Lenhossek  mentions  the  case  of  a  philosopher  who  suddenly  became 
grey,  upon  losing,  by  a  storm  at  sea,  an  ancient  manuscript  which  he  had  recently  dis- 
covered. We  have  many  instances  (says  Goldsmith)  of  persons  who  have  grown  grey  in 
one  night-time.  (Hist,  of  Man,  &c.,  33.)  Bichat  says  that  he  was  witness  to  six  or  seven 
cases  where  the  hair  turned  white  in  less  than  eight  days;  and  in  one  of  them,  an 
acquaintance  of  his,  turned  grey,  almost  entirely,  in  one  night,  owing  to  the  receipt  of  bad 
news.  It  is  true  that  Haller  has  expressed  some  doubts  upon  this  sudden  change;  but  we 
consider  the  testimony  of  Bichat  as  conclusive. 

Several  interesting  cases. — Dr.  Frederick  A.  Van  Dyke,  of  this  city,  remembers  a 
case  which  occurred  some  years  ago,  when  a  person,  of  rather  weak  mind,  turned  grey 
suddenly  from  fright,  having  been  unexpectedly  introduced  into  a  dissecting  chamber. 
We  have,  also,  in  our  cabinet  a  lock  of  hair  entirely  white,  which  was  cut  from  the  head 
of  a  young  lady,  the  rest  of  whose  hair  is  chestnut  colored.  When  she  was  between  two 
and  three  years  old,  she  was  frightened  by  a  boy  with  a  mask  over  his  face,  and  a  lock  of 
her  hair  turned  white  in  the  particular  spot  from  which  our  specimen  is  taken.  One-half 
of  her  left  eye-brow,  and  one-half  of  the  lashes  of  her  left  eye,  underwent  a  similar  change 
at  the  same  time.  The  hair  which  has  thus  lost  its  color,  has  repeatedly  been  cut,  and 
always  sprouts  out  colorless.  She  is  now  14  years  of  age,  and  her  family,  from  whom  we 
received  the  information,  is  highly  respectable  and  worthy  of  entire  credit. 


OK,  A  TREATISE  OX  TILE.  87 

We  have,  likewise,  in  our  collection,  a  lock  of  white  hair,  taken  from  the  head  of  Wm. 
H.  McCombe,  of  Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  now  18  years  of  age,  who,  three  years  ago,  was 
kicked  in  the  mouth  by  a  horse,  in  consequence  of  which  some  hair  on  the  left  side  of  his 
head,  above  the  temple,  and  of  the  size  of  half  a  dollar,  turned  gfey  in  a  few  days.  Tlie 
rest  of  his  hair  remained  brown. 

Sometimes  a  sing'e  white  look  is  found  in  the  head  without  any  assignable  cause;  the 
specimen  of  pile  from  the  head  of  Mi's.  -  — -,  of  Montgomery  county,  Pa.,  belongs  to 

this  category. 

To  these  we  might  add  the  case  of  Her  Majesty  Maria  Antoinette,  whose  beautiful 
blonde  locks,  history  informs  us,  lost  their  color  in  one  night. 

The  effects  of  Fear. — The  following  is  quoted  from  the  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical 
Journal,  a  periodical  in  which  we  should  not  look  for"  a  fictitious  narrative,  yet  the  story  is 
wonderful : — 

"A  young  man  (23  years  old)  came  from  the  mines  to  San  Francisco,  with  the  intention 
of  soon  leaving  the  latter  place  for  home.  On  the  evening  of  his  arrival,  he,  with  his 
companions,  visited  the  gambling  saloons.  After  watching  for  a  time  the  varied  fortunes 
of  a  table,  supposed  to  be  undergoing  the  process  of  'tapping,'  from  the1  continued  success 
of  those  betting  against  the  bank,  the  excitement  overthrew  his  better  judgment,  and  he 
threw  upon  the  'seven  spot'  of  a  new  deal,  a  bag  which  he  said  contained  $1,100,  his  all — 
the  result  of  two  years'  privation  and  hard  labor — exclaiming,  with  a  voice  trembling  from 
intense  excitement,  'My  Home,  or  the  Mines!' 

"As  the  dealer  slowly  resumed  the  drawing  of  his  cards,  with  his  countenance  livid 
from  fear  of  the  inevitable  fate  that  seems  ever  attendant  upon  the  tapping  process  when 
commenced,  I  turned  my  eyes  upon  the  young  man  who  had  staked  his  whole  gains  upon 
a  card;  and  never  shall  forget  the  impression  made  by  his  look  of  intense  anxiety,  as  he 
watched  the  cards  as  they  fell  from  the  dealer's  hands  All  the  energies  of  his  system 
seemed  concentrated  in  the  fixed  gaze  of  his  eyes,  while  the  deadly  pallor  of  his  face 
bespoke  the  subdued  action  of  his  heart.  All  around  seemed  infected  with  the  sympa- 
thetic powers  of  the  spell — even  the  hitherto  successful  winners  forgot  their  own  stakes  in 
the  hazardous  chance  placed  upon  the  issue  of  the  bet.  The  cards  are  slowly  told  with 
the  precision  of  high-wrought  excitement.  The  seven  spot  wins.  The  spell  is  broken — 
reaction  takes  place.  The  winner  exclaims,  with  a  deep-drawn  sigh,  '  I  will  never  gamble 
again,'  and  was  carried  from  the  room  in  a  deep  swoon,  from  which  he  did  not  fully 
recover  until  the  next  morning,  and  then  to  know  that  the  equivalent  surrendered  for  his 
gain  was  the  color  of  his  hair,  now  changed  to  a  perfect  white." 

It  would  seem  that  the  frightful  disease,  leprosy,  suddenly  turns  hair  white.  (See 
Levit,  ch.  xiii.)  And  the  same  has  been  said  of  the  disease  called  scald-head,  (Tinea 
capitis.)  (See  Diet,  des  Sci.  Med.,  v.  43,  p,  502.) 

An  Experiment. — Being  desirous  of  ascertaining  whether  a  sudden  and  violent  death 

would  effect  this  or  any  other  change  in  hair,  we,  on  the  12th  day  of  October,  1848, 

procured  a  lock  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  Charles  Langfeldt,  the  murderer;  and  on  the 

20th  of  the  same  month,  immediately  after  his  execution,  by  hanging,  we  procured  another ; 

22 


88  TIIK'IIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

tliese  we  have  since  examined  and  compared,  under  the  microscope,  but  can  discover  no 
difference  between  them. 

The  cause  of  the  sudden  loss  of  color. — As  to  the  manner  in  which  colored  hair  becomes 
suddenly  devoid  of  color,  no  satisfactory  explanation  is  to  be  found  in  books.  Vauque- 
lain  says  "  we  must  suppose  that,  in  these  critical  moments;,  nature  undergoes  a  revolution, 
and  the  natural  functions  are,  in  consequence,  suspended  or  changed — some  agent  is 
developed  in  the  animal  economy,  which,  passing  into  the  hair,  decomposes  the  coloring 
matter,"  &c.,  &c.  (See  Nich.  Diet,  of  Chem.,  title  Hair.) 

As  to  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon  we  know  but  little ;  probably,  as  we  grow  older,  the 
vessels  that  convey  the  coloring  matter  become  smaller  and  less  capable  of  their  office,  and 
its  circulation  is  diminished,  and  finally  entirely  impeded. 

Of  the  gradual  loss  of  color  in  Pile. 

"  The  glory  of  young  men  is  their  strength,  and  the  beauty  of  old  men  is  the  grey  head" — (Prov.  20:  29.) 

Hair  of  the  head  begins  to  turn  grey  at  thirty. 

"Grey  hairs  are  sprinkled  upon  him,  but  he  knoweth  it  not." — (Hosea,  7 :  9.) 

Of  the  causes  of  turning  grey. — Many  causes  may  retard  or  advance  it.  We  have  a 
lock  of  hair  of  Robert  Davidson,  cut  from  his  head  the  9th  of  January,  1849,  on  which 
day  he  was  one  hundred  years  old.  It  is  generally  white,  (i.  e.  colorless,)  but  we  find  a 
few  Mack  hairs.  We  have  another  of  a  young  lady,  who  is  only  thirteen;  a  large  proportion 
of  the  filamenls  are  brown;  but  there  are  many  hairs  entirely  colorless.*  Her  grand- 
mother informed  us  that  she  had  grey  hairs  when  she  was  born. 

Severe  sickness  is  apt  to  hasten  the  whitening  of  the  hair;  and  we  have  the  authority 
of  Rayner  for  saying,  that  long  confinement  in  the  dark  will  have  the  same  effect,  f  (See 
Diseases  of  ihe  Skin.)  But  that  light  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  the  existence  of  the 
black  color  of  hair,  is  shown  by  a  lock  in  our  collection,  taken  from  a  foetus  of  9  months. 
It  is  as  black  as  jet. 

Of  the  Indian  turning  grey — Dr.  J.  Von  Ischudi  (in  Travels  in  Peru)  says,  that  "the 
hair  of  the  head  of  the  wild  Indian  is  long,  stiff,  and  of  a  brilliant  black,  (p.  290;)  that 
some  of  them  live  to  a  great  age,  viz:  120  to  130;  that  generally  they  retain  their  teeth 
and  hair  in  extreme  old  age,  and  that  it  is  remarkable  that  their  hair  never  becomes  white, 
and  very  seldom  even  grey."  (p.  340.)  "The  ancient  bodies,  found  preserved,  have 
always  the  hair  perfectly  free  from  decay."  (p.  352.) 

We  have,  in  our  cabinet,  several  specimens  of  colorless  American  Indian  hair. 

As  it  is  upon  the  head  of  man  that  hair  first  appears,  so  it  is  there  where  it  first  loses 
ils  color;  then  the  beard,  and  lastly  the  hypogastric  hair.  It  is  said  that  it  commences  to 
lose  color  first  at  the  temples — which  are  so  called  from  the  Latin  tempus,  to 'denote  this 
primordial  impress  of  lime.  The  last  place  is  the  lower  part  of  the  head  and  upper  part 
of  the  neck. 

Dr.   Gross   says   that,  hair   [the   filament]   turns   white    first   at  the   loose   [anterior] 


*  We  possess  a  lock  of  brown  hair  of  Mr.  Win.  Duffey,  aged  70,  in  which  very  few  grey  can  be  found. 
t  Our  American  Mummy  hair,  which  has  been  so  many  hundred  years  in  the  dark,  is   turned  from  black  to  brown  ;  but 
this  may  be  owing  to  Ih?  substances  used  in  its  preservation. 


OH.  A  TREATISE  OK  PILE.  89 

extremity,  and  that  it  is  the   same  with    the  lower  animals.       (Elem.  Phys.  and  Anat., 
p.  330.) 

We  have,  in  our  collection,  a  bristle  of  a  Russian  Hog,  which  is  black  at  the  posterior 
extremity  for  2  inches  and  y^ths.  and  white  for  the  remainder  of  the  shaft,  say  9  inches 
and  -^ths.  We  have  another  that  is  tri-colored,  viz:  black,  white  and  corneous  colored. 

There  are,  connected  with  this  subject  of  the  coloring  matter  of  pile,  several  interesting 
questions,  as  1st.  Of  the  nature  of  the  coloring  matter.  Of  this  we  have  disposed  in  the 
second  Chapter,  to  which  we  refer.  2d.  Of  the  seat  of  the  coloring  matter.  This  we  have 
shown  is,  in  a  perfect  hair,  in  a  central  canal;  in  an  imperfect  one,  the  coloring  matter  is 
sometimes  confined  to  the  cortex,  and  at  others  it  is  extended  to  the  intermediate  fibres. 
This  distinction  may  have  been  before  hinted,  but  has  never  been  insisted  on  as  an 
important  specific  difference,  as  it  certainly  is.  3d.  Is  the  coloring  matter  of  the  skin  and 
that  of  the  hair  identical?  There  are  some  writers,  of  high  repute,  who  advocate  the 
affirmative  side  of  this  question.  (See  Diet,  of  Sci.  Med.,  v.  43,  p.  170.)  And  there  are 
others  who  even  contend  that  the  coloring  matter  of  the  skin  is  secreted  in  the  bulbs 
[follicles]  of  the  hair.  Gaullier  says  that,  upon  removing  the  coloring  matter  of  a  negro's 
skin,  with  a  blister,  he  saw  it  proceeding  from  the  hair  bulbs,  one  portion  radiating  until 
it  met  that  of  another  hair  bulb  ;  and,  finally,  the  whole  surface  becoming  black. 

To  this  theory  of  "the  skin  of  a  negro  being  furnished  with  coloring  matter  from  the 
bulbs  [follicles]  of  his  wool,"  there  are  two  objections,  wdiich  appear  to  be  unanswerable, 
viz :  1st.  That  the  color  of  the  negro's  skin*  continues  to  be  black,  after  his  wool  has 
become  grey  \jvhite~]  for  want  of  the  coloring  matter.  2d.  That  persons  with  Mack  hair 
have  white  skins,  and  no  appearance  of  a  black  colored  rete  mucosum. 

It  is  true  that  Bichat  says  that  it  has  been  frequently  observed,  that  the  red  color  of  the 
hair  accords  with  the  spots  of  the  same  color  found  upon  the  skin  of  individuals.  (See 
Anat.  Gen.,  v.  2,  p.  789.)  But  we  answer  that  they  are  not  always  so  found  to  agree,  for 
we  have  in  our  collection  specimens  of  the  hair  of  Braddock  Howard,  who  was  exhibited 
in  Philadelphia  in  the  winter  of  1848-9,  the  whole  of  whose  face,  except  a  small  seam 
upon  his  forehead,  which  has  the  appearance  of  a  scar,  is  of  a  vivid  purple ;  and  this  color, 
though  not  quite  of  so  deep  a  hue,  is  traceable  to  the  skin  of  his  head,  yet  his  hair  is  dark 
brown,  fine  and  silky. 

So  Dr.  Emery  Bissell  mentions  the  case  of  a  very  dark  colored  Indian,  who  gradually 
turned  white  after  he  had  passed  the  age  of  sixty,  the  color  of  his  pile  undergoing  no 
change  other  than  that  incident  to  old  age.  And  in  the  Museum  of  Nat.  Hist,  of  Paris  is 
the  portrait  of  a  pie-bald  negro,  whose  skin,  in  the  changed  part,  is  pale  rose  color,  and 
whose  wool  is  colorless. 

OF  THE  RETE  MUCOSUM. — In  regard  to  the  experiments  on  the  negro's  skin  and  wool, 
through  the  agency  of  a  blister,  Cruikshank  says,  that  when  a  blister  is  applied  to  the 

*  We  are  speaking  of  the  black  persons  seen  in  all  our  country  who  are  generally  denominated,  negroes,  but  which  we  pre- 
sume to  be  very  far  from  being  pure  negroes ;  and  Gaultier,  most  probably,  performed  his  experiment  upon  this  kind 
of  person. 


90  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALU'M  : 

skin  of  a  negro,  if  it  has  not  been  very  stimulating,  in  twelve  hours  a  thin,  grey,  trans- 
parent membrane  will  be  raised,  under  which  is  found  a  fluid.  This  membrane,  (says 
this  author,)  is  the  cuticle  or  scarf-skin;  when  this,  with  the  fluid,  is  removed,  the  surface 
underneath  appears  black.  But,  if  the  blister  has  been  stimulating,  another  membrane, 
in  which  this  black  color  resides,  will  also  be  raised  with  the  cuticle.  This  (he  adds)  is 
the  rete  mucosum  ;  when  this  membrane  is  removed,  the  surface  of  the  true  skin  comes  into 
view,  and  it  is  white,  like  that  of  an  European. 

Mr.  Flourens  has  also  examined  this  subject.  (See  Annals  di  S'ci.  Nat,  t.  vii.,  p.  156.) 
He  found  four  distinct  layers  between  the  cuticle  and  the  cutis ;  the  second  of  which  (he 
says)  is  a  mucous  membrane,  a  distinctly  organized  body,  underlaying  the  pigment  and 
existing  in  persons  of  dark  color  only.  Mr.  Flourens  sought  in  vain  for  this  membrane, 
between  the  cutis  and  outer  lamina?  of  the  epidermis  of  a  white  man ;  and  yet  this  is  the 
seat  of  the  discoloration  produced  in  his  complexion  by  exposure  to  the  sun. 

From  these  examinations  this  distinguished  naturalist  and  anatomist  was  able  to  pro- 
nounce, definitively,  that  the  discoloration  in  the  skin  of  the  white  man  is  totally  different 
in  kind  from  the  cause  of  blackness  in  the  negro,  and  he  therefore  concludes  that  the 
negro  and  the  European  are  SEPARATE  SPECIES  OF  BEINGS. 

We  might  add,  that  Henle,  having  examined  the  skin  of  a  negro,  found,  besides  the 
cells  detected  in  the  white  man,  others  which  contain  a  black  pigment.  (See  Miiller's 
Arch.,  1840,  Heft.  2,  180.*)  We,  therefore,  feel  ourselves  authorised  in  inferring  that  the 
coloring  matter  of  the  skin,  and  that  of  the  hair  of  man  are  not  identical. 

» 

As  TO  THE  LOWER  ANIMALS. — :How  this  question  is  to  be  determined  in  regard  to  the 
hair  and  skin  of  the  lower  animals  will,  perhaps,  depend  upon  other  considerations ;  for 
while  we  find  the  blackest  hair  of  the  head  of  our  species  issuing  out  of  a  fair  skin,  we 
are  credibly  informed  that  the  colored  spots  or  portions  of  the  hair  of  the  lower  animals, 
generally,  if  not  always,  correspond  with  a  similar  tint  of  the  skin.  Hence  we  find  authors 
coupling  these  two  integuments  together.  Mr.  Youatt,  who  tells  us  that  he  composed  the 
3d  chapter  of  his  book  with  the  assistance  of  several  eminent  gentlemen,  whom  he  names, 
says  therein  that,  in  regard  to  sheep,  the  color  of  the  skin  and  probably  that  of  the  hair 
and  wool  also,  is  determined  by  the  rete  mucosum  ;  or,  at  least,  the  hair  and  wool  are  of  the 
same  color  as  this  substance.  (See  Lib.  of  Usef.  Know.,  p.  52,)  And  it  must  be  borne  in 
rnind,  that  the  coloring  matter  of  &  per  feet  hair,  (i.  e.  of  the  head  of  the  oval-haired  man,) 
is  confined  to  a  central  canal,  while  the  coloring  matter  of  the  hair  and  wool  of  the  lower 
animals,  so  far  as  our  experience  goes,  is  disseminated  in  the  cortex  and  intermediate 
fibrous  substance,  or  in  the  cortex  alone. 

4th.  Is  the  color  of  the  hair  ever  influenced  by  accidental,  external  or  temporary  causes? 
It  is  said  in  the  Lond.  and  Edin.  Jour,  of  Med.  Sci.,  for  1841,  p.  596,  that  the  writer  has 
a  hair  taken  from  the  skin  of  a  native  New  Zealander,  whose  face  was  closely  tattooed,  and 

*  P.  Barnard,  Prof,  of  Physiology,  in  Paris,  says  that  the  hair  contains  pigment  grains  but  no  pigment  cells.  (2CG  Cour. 
Physi.,  1848. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  91 

which  (hair)  was  of  a  bright  blue  color,  owing  to  its  having  taken  up  some  of  the  coloring 
matter  used  in  the  tattooing.  We  have  repeatedly  tried  to  inject  a  hair,  but  have  never 
succeeded.  Again,  a  woman,  about  thirty,  became  enciente,  and  at  the  seventh  month, 
her  skin  of  the  face  first  assumed  the  color  of  oxide  of  iron ;  and  afterwards  it  became 
black.  On  some  days  it  was  of  a  deeper  shade  than  on  others  ;  her  hair  was  naturally  black, 
but  it  assumed  a  darker  shade.  The  black  of  her  face  disappeared  two  days  after  her 
accouchement.  Besides,  Keidline  mentions  a  case  where  the  hair  became  bright  yellow 
during  a  fit  of  jaundice  ;  but  he  does  not  mention  the  original  color,  and  Alibert  tells  of  a 
blonde-haired  woman  whose  hair  became  black  after  a  severe  accouchement.  (See  Diet,  des 
Sci.  Med.,  v.  43,  p.  273.)  A  still  more  extraordinary  case  is  mentioned  in  p  503,  of  the 
same  work,  of  a  female  whose  hair,  shortly  before  her  death  by  consumption,  changing 
from  white  to  black.*  The  hair  which  is  rubbed  from  the  hides  of  horses  with  colored 
pile,  sometimes  is  succeeded  by  white  hairs,  and  sometimes,  (though  less  frequently,)  by 
hair  of  the  original  color. 

When  a  wound  heals  "  by  the  first  intention,"  the  original  skin  closing  and  joining, 
hair  grows  and  continues  of  the  same  color  it  was  originally;  but  when  it  heals  "by 
granulation,"  a  new  and  imperfect  skin  is  formed,  with  a  very  white  hue  and  smooth  surface, 
and  upon  this  no  hair  will  grow.  Feeding  an  animal  for  some  time  upon  madder  turns  the  bones 
red,  but  it  has  no  effect  upon  the  hair.  Dr.  Belchier,  an  English  physician,  from  seeing  a  pig 
which  had  been  fed  at  a  dyeing  establishment  have  reddish  colored  bones,  first  discovered 
the  phenomenon.  He  repeated  the  experiment  upon  other  animals,  and  always  with  the 

same  result, 

i 

OF  THE  POLARIZATION  OF  LIGHT  BY  PILE.— Hairs  polarize  light.  (Mandl,  Traite.  Prac. 
du  Microscope,  p.  165.)  Common  light  originates  in  vibratory  motions  in  every  direction 
transverse  to  the  ray ;  but  polarized  light  is  caused  by  vibrations,  transverse  to  the  ray, 
and  in  one  direction  only.  The  part  of  the  hair  which  is  instrumental  in  producing  this 
phenomenon  is,  probably,  the  cortex,  which  is  scaly.  Polarization  may  be  caused  by 
reflection,  refraction  or  double  refraction, f 

In  viewing  hairs  under  the  microscope,  we  must  remember  the  shape  of  the  hair,  for 
light  impinging  on  its  surface,  being  reflected  according  to  the  angle  of  incidence,  will  be 
reflected  differently  as  the  hair  is  cylindrical,  oval  or  flat.  We  should  also  recollect  that 
the  rays  of  light  which  emanate  from  the  reflector  of  the  microscope,  situated  beyond  or 
beneath  the  hair,  being  of  diiferent  lengths,  will  cause  a  series  of  light  and  dark  colored 
stripes  and  shadows,  which,  unless  properly  understood,  will  cause  false  impressions  of 
the  object. 

And,  lastly,  the  rays  of  light,  striking  directly  upon  the  hair,  and  those  reflected  by  the 
reflector,  which  is  beyond  or  below  the  object,  may  interfere  and  nullify  each  other.  This 
danger  is  increased  when  two  reflectors,  one  above  and  one  below  the  object,  are  used. 

*  May  this  not  have  been  a  falling  out  of  the  old  colorless  hair,  and  its  place  being  supplied  by  new  black  ones? 
t  The  shadow  lines  of  light  upon  hairs,  which,  owing  to  their  minuteness,  are  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  become  colored 
under  the  microscope, 

23 


92  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

OF  DYEING  PILE. — It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  in  the  process  of  dyeing,  the  color- 
ing matter  enters  between  the  scales  of  pile,  and  if  this  be  the  case,  that  wool,  owing  to  ihe 
scales  being  more  open,  will  take  the  dye  with  greater  facility  and  in  greater  abundance 
than  hair. 

It  is  also  probable,  for  a  similar  reason,  that  wool  in  the  natural  state,  will  take  the  dye 
more  effectually  than  it  will  after  it  has  been  felted  or  fulled.  This  may  be  the  reason 
why  "dyeing  in  grain,"  as  it  is  termed,  is  preferred.  Among  a  collection  of  pile  speci- 
mens, presented  by  H.  C.  Merriam,  Esq.,  are  some  denominated  "  Black  Sea  wool,"  to 
Avliich  is  attached  a  memorandum  that  it  will  not  take  colors.  It  is  in  three  parcels,  white, 
black  and  mixed;  the  first,  when  a  transverse  section  is  viewed  under  the  microscope,  shows 
two  varieties,  viz :  an  oval  or  an  eccentrically  elliptical  shape,  with  an  external  white 
line,  then  a  dark  line  and  a  centre  of  white  fibrous  substance;  2d,  a  cylinder  with  a  white 
line  enclosing  a  dark  one,  and  a  white  fibrous  centre ;  diameters.  -%\-Q  by  ^^  and  ¥{^  by 
5|^.  The  2d  parcel  is  cylindrical,  or  an  ellipse  slightly  concave  on  its  flats  sides;  colors 
the  same  as  above,  or  black  with  a  white  centre;  diameter,  7-jj-r.  The  3d  parcel  cylindrical, 
white  or  black  external  outline  comparatively  large,  black  intermediate  substance  with  a 
minute  white  centre;  diameter,  g|7. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PLATE  I. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

PLATE   I. 


<! 

( 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PLATE  I. 


(T) 


PLATE   II. 


War.  80- 
t/ 


Fia.  82-i. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PLATE   I. 


a. 


Fij97-  b. 


8) 


OH,  A  TREATISE  ON  TILE.  93 


CHAPTER     V. 

PILE  BELONGS  TO  THE  DERMIS.  —  Pile  belongs  to  the  dermis  and  generally  will  persist 
in  growing  upon  it.  We  are  assured  by  one  of  the  most  eminent  surgeons  of  this  city 
that  he  has  frequently,  in  different  operations,  turned  flaps  of  skin  in  various  cavities,  to 
supply  the  place  of  the  mucous  membrane,  and  has  observed  that  unless  the  piliferous 
bulbs  (follicles)  have  been  destroyed  by  a  desquamating  inflammation,  or  subsequently 
removed  by  excision,  the  hair  natural  to  the  skin  continues  to  develope  itself  and  some- 
times becomes  a  source  of  considerable  irritation. 

On  the  other  hand  pile  does  not  belong  to  the  mucous  membrane,  and  will  not,  generally, 
grow  therein.  We  have  often  examined  with  admiration  the  minute  line  of  demarcation, 
on  the  lips,  between  the  skin  of  the  mucous  membrane,  the  former  being  covered  with 
hair,  while  the  latter  will  not  produce  a  single  filament. 

But  for  the  production  of  pile  the  dermis  must  be  perfect;  hence  we  find  that  where 
wounds  heal  by  granulation,  the  cicatrix  being  an  imperfect  skin,  no  hair  will  grow  upon 
it.  It  has  been  said,  however,  that  where  the  mucous  membrane  has  been  left  for  a  long 
time  exposed,  as  in  descents  of  the  rectum  and  uterus,  that  hair  will  grow  upon  it.* 

The  notion  of  Oken,  (in  Elem.  of  Physiol.,  p.  394,)  that  hairs  are  dried  bronchial  fila- 
ments, and  that,  therefore,  they  continue  to  occupy  in  man  those  situations  only  where, 
in  the  lower  animals,  bronchia  and  tentaculse  are  found,  for  example  around  the  mouth, 
upon  the  head,  in  the  axillae  and  around  the  sexual  organs,  is  chimerical.  f 

Some  of  the  lower  animals  are  entirely  covered  with  hair,  while  others  have  so  few, 
that  they  are  called  naked.  Some  are  covered  with  a  mantle  and  a  few  hairs,  while  others 
have  scales  in  place  of  the  mantle.  All  these  different  coverings  might  be  made  use  of  in 
their  classification. 


WHEN  PILE  NOT  USUALLY  FOUND  EVEN  IN  THE  DERMIS,—  ^Haii1  is  not  usually  found  in  the 
superior  eye-lids,  palm  of  the  hand,  the  soles  of  the  feet,J  nor  the  dorsal  face  of  the  last 
phalanges  of  the  fingers  and  of  the  great  toe. 

On  the  head$  hair  is  found  —  upon  the  scalp  —  in  the  auditory  passage  —  upon  the  eye- 
brows, (supercilium)  —  along  the  margin  of  the  eye-lids,  (cilium)  —  in  the  nares  —  on  the 

*  Tellc  est  1'analogics  entrc  ces  deux  membranes,  que  la  peaiij  soumise  au  contact  prolongs  des  matierc  qui  baignent  la 
muqueuse,  des  larmes  par  example,  prend  bientot  1'aspect  et  les  caracteres  de  la  muqueuse,  de  memo  que  celle-ci,  exposee 
au  frottemont  des  vetements  et  a  1'aetion  dessechante  de  1'air,  so  transforme  bientot  en  peau.  (Un  Mil.  de  fait,  p.  513.) 

t  The  mammalia  are  composed  of,  1,  a  skeleton;  2,  splanchnic  cavities,  of  which  there  are  three;  3,  limbs;  4, 
vessels  and  nerves.  All  these  are  enclosed  in  an  outer  envelope,  called  "the  skin."  It  is  to  this  latter  that  pile  belongs. 

J  Goldsmith  says  that  the  Hare  has  hair  upon  the  sole  of  the  foot.     (Nat  Hist,  of  Man,  v.  2,  137.) 

J  Dr.  Gross  proposes  to  call  the  hair  of  the  head  "crin,"  from  crinis,  hair.  The  French  have  conferred  this  name  upon 
the  mane  and  tail  of  the  pachjdermata. 


94  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

cheeks  and  outside  of  the   upper  lip,  (whiskers) — and  in  and  under  the  chin, -(beard.) 
The  first  five  are  epicene;*  the  two  last  belong  to  males  only. 

OF  THE  PILE  OF  THE  SCALP. — This,  as  we  have  before  explained,  is  divided  into  two 
varieties  of  hair  and  wool ;  denoting  three  distinct  species.  It  is  upon  the  head  of  man 
that  the  epidermis  has  the  least  sensibility,  and,  owing  to  the  convex  form  of  the  skull,  it 
presents  but  a  very  small  siirface,  at  a  time,  to  contact  with  external  objects;  it  is,  there- 
fore, of  very  little  inconvenience  to  the  sense  of  touch  to  have  the1  scalp  entirely  covered 
with  hair,  or  wool,  forming  a  soft  cushion  of  defence  against  external  violence.  As  to  the 
face,  although  it  is  the  seat  of  several  other  organs  of  sense,  it  does  not  require  a  high 
degree  of  tangibility;  and  hence  we  find  it,  also,  plentifully  provided  with  pile;  but  the 
prominent  parts  of  the  cheeks,  and  the  environs  of  the  ey«s,  (where  the  passions  are 
principally  depicted,)  are  left  bare.  Some  rare  instances  occur  where  no  hair  is  produced 
upon  the  head.  There  is  a  highly  respectable  gentleman,  residing  in  this  city,  who  has 
never  had  any  hair  on  his  head,  nor,  indeed,  upon  his  body. 

Much  has  been  said  in  other  parts  of  this  work  upon  the  hair  and  wool  of  the  head,  to 
which  we  refer,  to  avoid  repetition, 

OF  CLIMACTRIC  HAIRS. — That  the  generative  organs  exercise  a  general  influence  over 
the  hairs  of  the  beard  and  the  hypogastric  hairs,  seems  to  be  beyond  a  doubt.  These 
hairs  make  their  first  appearance  at  the  period  of  being  marriageable,  which  is  therefore 
termed  the  period  of  puberty.  When,  owing  to  any  cause,  the  development  of  the  sexual 
organs  is  interrupted,  these  hairs  are  defective;  and,  in  like  manner,  any  thing  which 
destroys  these  hairs,  or  prevents  their  growth,  acts  detrimentally  upon  the  sexual  organs. 
The  gentleman  of  this  city,  before  alluded  to,  who  has  no  hair,  is  married,  but  he  has  never 
had  an  offspring.  In  most  of  those  cases  of  malconformation,  commonly  called  herma- 
phrodite, there  is  a  corresponding  paucity  of  these  hairs.  Rtlssel  altered  stags,  and  he 
informs  us  that  in  some  their  antlers  grew  irregularly,  and  in  others  not  at  all.  Bichat 
says,  that  a  cock  with  his  comb  cut  languishes;  which  has  probably  given  rise  to  the 
remark,  often  made,  of  such  a  one  "  having  had  his  comb  cut"  when  he  is  disconcerted  or 
put  down.  The  Lion,  deprived  of  his  mane,  is  said  to  lose  part  of  his  courage,  and 
probably  a  part  of  his  vitality.  When  Samson  was  betrayed  by  Delilah,  he  was  bereaved 
of  his  pile;  but  when  he  was  brought  out  to  be  sacrificed  by  the  Philistines,  his  beard 
being  grown,  and  his  hair  in  a  great  measure  restored,  he  laid  hold  of  the  two  chief  pillars 
and  pulled  the  house  down.f 

Bichat  condemns  the  practice  of  shaving  the  beard   as  injurious;   and  it  is  related  of 

*  Epicene,  from  "  epi,"  upon,  and  "kvinos,"  common ;  common  to  both  sexes. 

f  "And  she  said  unto  him,  Thou  has  mocked  me  three  times,  and  hath  not  told  mo  wherein  thy  great  strength  lieth.  And 
he  told  her  all  his  heart :  and  said  unto  her,  There  has  not  come  a  razor  upon  mine  head ;  for  I  have  been  a  Nazarite  unto 
God  from  my  mother's  womb.  If  I  be  shaven,  then  my  strength  will  go  from  me,  and  I  shall  become  weak,  and  be  like  other 
men.  And  she  made  him  sleep  on  her  knees ;  and  she  called  for  a  man,  and  she  caused  him  to  shave  off  the  seven  locks  of  his 
head;  and  she  began  to  afflict  him,  and  his  slrcivjlh  went  from  him." 


ni;,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  ',)", 

Haas  Adam,  Baron  of  Oxensteirn,  who  was  born  in  15'29,  that  he  was  renowned  for  bodily 
streno-th,  and  had  a  beard  six  feet  two  inches  long  \  Two  cases  are  recorded,  one  of  a 

O  *—" 

Monk  who  became  blind  upon  cutting  off  a  long  beard,  and  the  other  of  a  Priest,  who  was 
extremely  robust,  but  who  suddenly  became  sick  and  weak  from  cutting  his  long  hair. 
(Diet,  de  Sci.  Med.,  v.  43,  p.  27-2.) 

In  Auverne,  in  France,  they  never  cut  the  manes  of  their  horses  lor  fear  of  dimini-hing 
their  strength. 

A  singular  growth  of  beard  on  the  chins  of  females,  in  decline  of  life,  has  been  referred 
to  the  same  category.  (See  Blumen's  Inst.  Phys.,  §  660.)  Bichatsays  that  this  is  a,  new 
direction  of  vitality.  Gross  tells  of  a  female,  of  78,  the  mother  of  a  large  family,  whose 
chin  and  lip  was  covered  with  a  coarse  beard,  which  obliged  her  to  shave  once  a  week. 
(Elem.  de  Phys.  and  Anat.,  227.) 

WHEN  HAIR  FIRST  MAKES  ITS  APPEARANCE. — The  first  development  of  hair,  according 
to  Valentin,  [Entivi  Chelangeschi  elite,  p.  275,]  is  either  at  the  end  of  the  third,  or  the 
commencement  or  middle  of  the  fourth  month ;  but  others  think  that  it  is  not  till  the 
seventh  month.*  Bichat  says  that,  "during  the  first  months  of  the  foetus,  there  is  no 
hair  upon  the  still  gelatinous  skin.  That  it  is  at  the  time  of  the  production  of  the  fibrous 
tissues  that  you  perceive,  upon  the  head,  a  fine  down,  indicative  of  the  hair  which  is  to 
succeed.  This  down,"  he  says,  "is  whitish,  and  is  hidden  in  a  greasy  and  unctuous  sub- 
stance, which  covers  the  skin.  Shortly  after  it  becomes  colored;  but  palely  so  until 
birth." 

THE  FIRST  APPEARANCE  OF  HAIR  ON  THE  POSSUM. — Prof.  Charles  Meigs,  M.  D.,  of  this 
city,  watched  the  progress  of  development  of  a  brood  of  possums,  and  there  was  no 
appearance  of  hair  until  the  seventy-second  day  after  they  were  first  discovered  in  the 
pouch  of  their  mother.  (MS;)f 

Some  [hybrid]  lambs  are  provided,  at  birth,  with  hair,  which  is  soft,  short  and  pointed, 
and  which  falls  out,  leaving  the  place  for  wool.  (Fleishman.) 

We  have  obtained,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Hon.  Jonathan  Roberts,  of  Montgomery 
county,  Pa.,  some  of  this  lamb's  hair.  In  Mr.  Roberts'  note,  he  says,  some  varieties  of 
stock  show  little  or  no  signs  of  hair  in  their  first  stages — such  as  the  Merinos,  for  the  most 
part,  and  in  a  good  degree  so  are  the  Southdowns,  on  which  we  now  pretty  much  run. 
And  so  of  the  Dishleys.  We  have  had  them  sometimes  very  hairy,  and  there  are  instances 
where  it  never  assumes  the  perfect  state  of  woolly  fibres.  (MS.) 

OF  THE  THREE  VARIETIES  OF  THE  HAIR  OF  THE  HEAD  OF  MAN.— All  organized  beings 
have  their  periods  or  ages  of  existence.  In  general  the  form  is  at  first  simple,  and  becomes 


*  We  have,  in  our  collection,  a  foetus  of  three  months,  upon  which  there  is  not  a  single  hair;  and  we  have  a  specimen  of 
a  portion  of  a  scalp  of  another  of  five  months,  upon  which  there  is  hair. 

t  With  birds,  towards  the  end  of  the  ninth  day  of  incubation,  on  the  skin  of  the  embryo  are  seen  little  pores,  which  fire 
the  openings  of  capsules  destined  to  secrete  feathers,  which  begin  to  show  themselves  at  the  end  of  the  tenth  day,  and  to 
cover  the  body  in  the  course  of  twenty-four  hours.  (Elom.  de  Zool.,  215.) 

The  cub  Lion  has  no  mane  when  born. 

24 


96  TiUCHULOGlA  MAMMAL1UM: 

successively  more  and  more  complicated — sometimes  by  metamorphoses,  and  at  others 
without  them.  Having  arrived  at  complete  development,  the  period  of  decline  commences; 
for  there  is  nothing  stationary  in  their  existence.  There  appears  to  be  three  distinct 
varieties  of  hair  of  the  head  of  man,  referable  to  three  as  distinct  periods  of  production, 
viz: — 

1st.  The  primitive  hair,  spoken  of  by  Valentin  and  Bichat,  as  above  quoted.  These 
fall  off,  mixing  with  the  envelope  of  the  foetus,  and  are  never  found  except  in  the  meco- 
nium.*  We  have  never  been  able  to  obtain  any  of  these  hairs. 

2d.  The  transitive  variety,  which  succeeds  to  the  primitive,  and  which  is  found  upcn 
the  newly-born  infant;  but  which  generally  falls  out  a  few  weeks  after  birth. 

3d.  The  permanent  hair;  if  permanent  may  be  called  hairs  which  are  being  continually 
renewed  during  life. 

4th.  The  hairs  of  puberty. 

It  would  be  very  interesting  to  ascertain  whether  the  three  first  varieties  are  not  pro- 
gressive in  the  order  of  their  perfection  of  organization,  as  they  are  in  their  order  of  time 
of  production.  In  order  to  determine  this  question,  we  have  made  several  unsuccessful 
exertions  to  obtain  the  pile  of  the  first  variety.  ."With  regard  to  the  second,  we  think  that 
we  have  shown  that  it  is  less  perfect  than  the  third.  (See  title  Follicle.) 

OF  ACCIDENTAL  HAIRS. — Hair  is,  occasionally,  developed  in  unusual  places,  as  in  the 
cys.tis  of  ovaries — on  moles — on  navi  materni — on  freckles— on  the  mucous  membrane  of 
the  conjunctiva — on  the  intestines — on  the  gall  bladder — in  the  stomach — on  steatomatous 
and  encysted  tumors — on  the  tongue  and  in  the  uterus. 

Homer  talks  of  the  hairy  heart  of  Achilles,  and  Pliny  speaks  of  hair  upon  the  heart,  but 
we  have  never  witne.-sed  any  such  phenomenon.  Dr.  Gross  says  that  hair  can  he  pro- 
duced in  unusual  places  by  constant  friction.  (Elem.  of  Phys.  and  Anat,,p.  330.)  (Sed 
qusere  ?) 

Of  the  Hair  found  in  Ovaries. — Among  hairs  that  are  denominated  "accidental" 
because  they  are  found  occasionally,  only,  being  developed  in  unusual  places,  the  most 
remarkable  are  those  discovered  in  the  cystis  of  ovaries.  Bichat  gives  the  following 
account  of  these  anomalies : — 

"A  sack,  sufficiently  voluminous,  contained  a  multitude  of  very  distinct  little  balls, 
resembling  the  excrement  of  sheep;  they  were  formed  of  a  white,  greasy,  unctuous  sub- 
stance, very  different  in  aspect  from  common  grease.  On  the  internal  surface  of  each  of 
these  were  planted  a  great  many  hairs,  which  the  least  movement  was  sufficient  to 
displace.  The  hair  was  black."  He  also  found  some  hairs,  entirely  detached,  which 
were  interlaced  in  various  degrees  of  compactness  in  little  balls.  (Anat.  Genl.,  v.  2, 
p.  799.)t 

*  Excrement  noir  et  epais  amasse  dans  les  intestins  d'un  enfant  naissant. 

f  For  ovary  hairs  see  Meckl.  Memoire  sur  les  poils  et  les  dents  qui  se  develop  accidentelleraent  dans  le  corps.  (See  Jour. 
Cuvnpl.  au  Diet,  des  Sci.  Med.,  v.  4,  pp.  122  and  217.)  Also  Bricheteax  Obsr.  de  Kystes  dermoides  et  pileux,  <fcc.  (Jour. 
Compl.  dcs  Sci.  Med.,  v.  15,  p.  £98.)  Hairs  have  been  found  in  the  tosticlc.s.  (Meckl.) 


OR,  A  TKEATISE  ON   PILE,  97 

So  far  as  our  researches  have  enabled  us  to  ascertain,  the  following  is  the  first  micro- 
scopic examination  and  description  of  these  hairs: — 

No.  1  Examination  and  Description  of  Hairs  from  Ovaries.  Name  and  description  of 
the  person  from  whom  it  came  unknown. — Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  Paul  B.  Goddard, 
M.  D.,  of  Philadelphia.  (See  fijr.  33.) 

Length,  3g  inches;  shape,  cylindroidal ;  diameter,  ^|T  by  ?|¥  of  an  inch;  color,  pale 
reddish-brown;  dark  brown;  not  lustrous;  direction,  slightly  flowing,  with  a  tendency  to 
a  stiff  curl;  inclination,  unknown;  ductility,  with  870  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an 
inch,  elasticity  entire;  tenacity,  broke  with  1,000  grains;  button,  a  mere  swelling  of  the 
posterior  extremity  of  the  shaft;  sheath,  length,  yL  of  an  inch;  diameter,  Jff ;  white, 
onaque,  investing  closely  the  shaft ;  follicle,  had  none  to  examine;  shaft,  partially  injured  in 
places,  as  if  it  had  been  acted  upon  by  some  corrosive  substance;  intermediate  fibres, 
(exhibited  when  a  hair  is  crushed,)  coarse;  one  of  them  measured  y^-1^  pirt  of  an  inch; 
a  darker  colored  hair,  when  crushed,  showed  a  light-colored  cortex  and  white  intermediate 
fibres;  apex,  rounded;  none  furcated;  disks,  uniformly  colored;  no  central  canal  dis- 
covered. 

In  general  outward  appearance  this  hair  resembles  that  of  the  head  of  the  oval-haired  species ; 
but  it  differs  from  it  in  its  deficiency  of  ductility,  in  its  cylindroidal  shape,  in  its  being  injured 
in  places  in  the  shaft  as  if  corroded,  in  the  coloring  matter  being  in  the  cortex,  and  in  the 
absence  of  a  central  canal. 

No.  2.  Examination  and  Description  of  Hair  of  an  Ovary. — Name  and  description  of 
the  person  from  whom  it  came  unknown.  Specimen  presented  by  Prof.  Homer,  M.  D  , 
of  Philadelphia. 

Length,  from  1|  to  2  inches;  shape,  cylindrical ;  diameters,  one  ^47,  another  ^|T,  and 
another  still,  r,>T  of  an  inch;  color,  generally  very  light,  no  lustre;  direction,  crisped; 
inclination,  unknown;  ductility,  with  190  grains  stretched  ^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire; 
tenacity,  broke  with  893  grains;  button,  sheath,  and  follicle,  had  none  to  examine;  shaft, 
deficient  in  uniformity,  thinly  covered  in  places  by  a  white  opaque  substance  ;  scales  on 
the  cortex  very  apparent,  rounded  and  adhereing  closely  to  the  shaft ;  one  hair,  which 
was  of  rather  a  darker  shade  than  the  rest,  notched  as  if  it  was  corroded.  Upon  being 
rolled  between  two  pieces  of  glass  the  scales  disengage;  being  crushed,  the  cortex  splits 
transversely,  exhibiting  the  intermediate  fibres,  which  are  white  and  fine;  one  of  them 
measures  the  ^QTT  Part  °f  an  "lcn  5  apex,  sometimes  pointed,  and  at  others  abrupt,  none 
furcated;  disk,  uniform  color ;  no  central  canal  perceptible.  The  general  appearance  is 
that  of  the  hair  of  the  pubis  of  the  oval-haired  species.  With  this  lock  was  a  mass  of 
tangled  fibres  of  ihe  size  of  ^  of  an  inch,  so  much  interlaced  as  to  render  it  impossible  to 
ascertain  the  length,  but  with  various  ^diameters  from  y^g-g-  to  ^oW  °f  an  incn>  some  flat 
and  others  rounded,  all  white  and  opaque  but  one,  and  that  is  blue.*  The  peculiarities  of 
this  hair  are  its  deficiency  in  ductility,  its  cylindrical  shape,  its  notched  appearance,  its 
deficiency  in  a  central  canal,  and  the  blue  color  of  the  fibre  above  mentioned. 


We  found  a  similar  colored  fibre  among  the  hah1  of  John   Dennis  Gnrwoorl.  which  grew  after  death. 


98  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM: 

Remarks. — Ductility  being  one  of  the  essential  properties  of  pile,  we  are  constrained  to 
pronounce  these  either  not  to  be  true  hairs,  or  to  believe  that  they  have  been  changed  in 
this  respect  by  some  fluid  with  which  they  have  come  in  contact,  most  probably  the  latter, 
for  the  corroded  state  of  the  shaft  would  render  that  probable.  But  a  difficulty  still  remains, 
that  while  these  specimens,  respectively,  resemble  in  some  respects  the  hair  of  the  head  and  of 
the  pubis  of  the  oval-haired  man  the  cylindroidal  shape  and  deficiency  in  canal,  negatives  the 
idea  of  such  an  identity  with  the  former  and  the  cylindrical  shape  with  the  latter  of  these 
integuments. 

OF  PILE  FROM  THE  UTERUS. — In  the  6ih  vol.  of  the  West.  Jour.  of.  Med.  and  Surgery, 
p.  217,  is  an  account  of  the  expulsion  of  a  mass  of  a  dark  color,  from  the  uterus  of  a  black 
woman;  which,  upon  examination,  proved  to  be  pile.  It  was  deposited  in  the  Museum  of 
the  Medical  College  of  South  Carolina,  and  we  are  indebted  to  Dr.  Henry  R.  Frost,  of 
Charleston,  for  a  specimen. 

Examination  and  Description  of  Wool  from  the  Uterus  of  a  Black  Woman,  made  10th 
of  April,  1S49. — Length,  10  inches  and  T87,  eccentrically  elliptical ;  diameter,  greatest,  ^^ 
of  an  inch,  smallest  -5-^  of  an  inch ;  crisped  ;  color,  dark  brown,  no  lustre  ;  harsh  and  dry 
to  the  touch ;  no  button,  sheath,  nor  follicle ;  shaft,  lower  extremity  quill-shaped,  some- 
what blanched  and  perforated  ;  in  some  places  encrusted  with  a  whitish  cellular  substance, 
and  in  others  fractured  so  as  to  display  the  fibres. 

Trial  of  one  inch  with  the  Trichometer.     Bar.  29,  Ther.  70,  F.,  Dew-Point  67. 
With  100  grains  it  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      300       "  "  \          '"  "  " 

"         400  "  "  -3-r  ''  "  " 

"  550  fa  "  " 

"  650  "            fa  "  " 

*(  700  il                 Ci              ^K-  * i  il               ** 

"  750  "                             1%  "                            minus  -fa 

"      80°  "          if  "      A 

"       850  "•  "  "       JQ. 

"  900  '•'  "  ||            «                   «              «  1£ 

"  950  "  "  3-fi-            '^                  "              "  14. 

"  1,000  "  "  "                   "               "  J-4 

"  1,050  "  "  "  ||j. 

"  1,100  "  "  |$                                               " 

"    i'150        "  "  -H  II- 

"    1,200        "  "  U  "        |f 


1>250  If 

"    1,300        "  "  *%  "  "  |£ 

"   1,350       "     broke. 

Whence  came  this   pile?     Are  we  to  presume  that  its  germ  came  from  one  of  her 

parents,  that  it  was  transported  by  the  circulation  and  absorbed  in  the  placenta  by  the 


OH,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 


'.)() 


radicules  of  the  ambicular  vein?  for  there  is  no  direct  communication  between  the 
maternal  and  fecal  circulation.  Or  was  it  a  spontaneous  generation?  Or  was  it  forced  in 
from  without?  (See  Berard's  Cours.  de  Physio.,  p.  99  of  1  vol.) 

HAIR  FROM  THE  STOMACH. — Dr.  F.  A.  Vandyke  told  us  of  a  case  of  a  female  lunatic,  who 
extracted  her  hypogastric  hair  and  swallowed  it.  Upon  a  post  mortem  examination,  had 
for  another  purpose,  they  were  found  in  her  stomach  in  the  form  of  a  ball. 

We  have  in  our  cabinet  quite  a  variety  of  hair-balls  extracted  from  the  stomach  of  Rumi- 
nants, many  of  which  we  have  examined. 

Examination  and  Description  of  Bair  from  the  Stomach  of  a  Ruminant,  March  14th, 
1849. — Presented  by  Prof.  John  K.  Mitchell,  M.  D.,  of  this  city.  Length,  |  of  an  inch; 
shape,  cylindrical;  diameter,  ^^  of  an  inch;  color,  dirty  brown;  no  lustre,  no  button, 
sheath,  nor  follicle ;  apex,  some  abrupt  and  others  pointed.  In  the  general  appearance 
resembling  cow's  hair. 

Trial  of  f  of  an  inch  with  the  Trichometer. 

With  170  grains  it  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

. .        1 QO         tt  "  —3*-  "  u  u 

11  .)    I    Ml.  11  3  11  II  11 

"?T  0 

"      270       "  fo  "         minus  -^ 

a       QVO       «  "  <L  <*  "  "         i 

" '  90"  ~§ 6 

•-I'll          "  "  7  "  "  " 

"§"5"  "9"0" 

11       ^'yn        'i  "  a  "  "  .    "          a 

" '  90  "SO 

'•'      670  it  broke. 

Dr.  Rogers,  speaking  of  these  hair-balls  found  in  the  stomach  and  alimentary  canal  of 
Cows,  &c.,  says  that  the  animals  lick  the  hairs  from  the  skin  and  swallow  them  with  the 
saliva;  that  they  concrete,  forming  a  ball.  (Prin.  and  Prac.  of  Med.,  1844,  p.  934.)  In 
Youatt's  Essay  on  Sheep,  in  Lib.  of  Usf.  Know.,  439,  will  be  found  an  account  of  these 
balls  by  the  name  of  Bezeors  or  Calculi  in  the  abemasum  of  these  animals.  From  a  note 
affixed  it  seems  that  they  are  found  likewise  in  every  species  of  Deer  and  Antelope,  in  the 
Elephant,  the  Rhinoceros,  the  Porcupine  and  some  other  animals. 

Hair  on  the  Tongue. — The  second  volume  of  the  Medical  Examiner,  1846,  p.  266, 
mentions  several  cases  of  hairy  productions  on  the  surface  of  the  tongue.  (Med.  Times, 
v.  13,  p.  148.) 

OF  PILE  WHICH  APPEARS  TO  GROW  OUT  OF  THE  INTERIOR  SURFACE  OF  THE  SKIN. — 
Some  of  the  skins  of  the  lower  animals,  tanned  with  the  pile  on,  have  filaments  which 
appear  to  be  growing  out  of  the  interior  surface  of  the  skin.  The  first  one  upon  which 
we  noticed  this  phenomenon  was  the  skin  of  an  Otter.  It  was  about  one  foot  in  length 
and  about  seven  inches  wide,  and  there  was  a  spot  near  the  centre,  of  about  five  by  three 
inches,  where  the  pile  grew  sparsely  upon  the  inner  surface.  The  animal  was,  as  usual, 
covered  with  a  dense,  fine  wool,  with  long  hairs  above,  but  none  but  the  hairs  were  to  be  seen 
on  the  inner  surface.  The  hairs  on  the  back  of  the  animal  have  the  usual  acute  angle, 
which  obliged  them  to  lie  smoothly,  inclining  from  the  head  towards  the  tail ;  but  these 
95 


100  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALUM: 

hairs  incline  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  hairs  of  the  animal  are,  in  color,  dark  brown, 
inclining  to  black;  light  brown,  incling  to  fawn;  and  hairs  of  both  these  colors  were  to 
be  seen  in  the  interior  surface,  but  a  large  majority  of  them  were  blackish  brown. 

From  information  received  from  dealers  in  furs,  it  would  appear  that  these  hairs  are  to 
be  seen  on  the  skins  as  soon  as  they  are  taken  from  the  body  of  the  animal,  that  they  are 
confined  to  the  skins  of  animals  killed  in.  the  summer  season,  and  that  they  are  left  upon 
the  pelt  from  an  opinion  that  to  pull  them  out  injures  the  aspect  of  the  fur  on  the 
other  side. 

Explanation. — The  projecting  terminations  of  these  hairs  upon  the  reverse  side  of  the 
skin,  are  the  roots,  the  points  of  the  filament  remaining  in  the  skin. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  I'lLE.  101 


CHAPTER     VI. 

OF  THE  DIMENSIONS  OF  PILE. — The  length  and  thickness  of  pile  are  important  matters 
to  be  observed  and  remarked. 

Of  the  length  of  Pile. — There  is  a  bony,  fibrous  substance  found  in  the  mouth  of  the 
"Whale,  which,  in  commerce  and  the  arts,  is  called  whalebone.  It  is  the  fanon  of  the 
French.  This  substance  is  represented  by  some  writers  to  be  the  beard,  and  by  others  to 
be  the  whiskers  of  this  animal;  and  if  it  were  hair,  it  would  be  a  specimen  of  the  greatest 
length  of  that  integument  found  upon  the  mammalia ;  for  it  measures  from  two  to  ten 
feet.  But  we  have  ascertained  that  it  is  not  pile.  (See  Chapter  I  ) 

On  our  species  the  longest  hair  is  upon  the  scalp,  and  females  have  generally  longer 
hair  upon  their  heads  than  males,  as  if  it  were  to  compensate  for  the  comparative  deficiency 
of  it  upon  their  bodies. 

"  Doth  not  even  Nature  itself  teach  you  that  if  a  man  have  long  hair,  it  is  a  shame  unto 
him?"  "But  if  a  woman  have  long  hair,  it  is  a  g'ory  unto  her,  for  her  hair  is  given  her 
for  a  covering."  (I  Cor.  xi :  14,  15.) 

Among  the  female  sex,  it  is  said,  some  have  been  known  to  have  hair  extending  to  the 
heels;  sometimes  males,  also,  have  long  hair.  \Ve  have,  in  our  cabinet,  the  hair  of  the 
male  Chinese,  Tsorv  Chaoong,  which  is  four  feet  long. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  hair  of  the  head  of  the  cylindrical-haired  man  is  the  longest — 
then  that  of  the  oval-haired  man,  and  the  wool  of  the  eccentrically  elliptical  is  the 
shortest. 

Next  in  length  to  the  hair  of  the  head  comes,  generally,  the  beard  of  man;  which  not 
imfrequently  reaches  to  the  waist.  The  shortest  hairs  of  the  body  of  man  are  the  downy 
hairs,  (laniigo.)  Haij;s  of  a  medium  length  are  found  in  the  axillaB  and  the  hypogastric 
hairs  of  both  sexes.  Some  men  have  long  hairs  upon  the  breast,  and  even  upon  the 
limbs ;  women  are,  in  general,  less  hairy. 

It  is  said  that  the  growth  of  hair  is,  sometimes,  increased  by  certain  diseases ;  for 
instance,  Dr.  Green  assures  us  that,  in  plica  polonica,  the  hypogastric  hair  has  been  known 
to  urow  down  to  the  knees. (!) 

Of  the  comparative  length  of  the  hairs  of  the  lower  animals. — The  following  table,  com- 
piled from  specimens  in  our  cabinet,  may  be  regarded  as  at  least  an  approach  towards 
the  truth : — 

The  tail  of  the  horse,  from  3  to  4  feet. 

The  mane  of  the  same,  from  12  to  15  inches. 

The  tail  of  the  Elephant,  1  foot  1  inch. 

The  tail  of  the  Yak,  or  Horse-Tailed  Buffalo,  10  inches. 

The  tail  of  the  Zebra,  9  inches. 


102  TRN.'HOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM  ; 

The  mane  of  the  Lion,  8  inches. 

The  bristle  of  the  Russian  Hog,  1 2A  inches. 

The  hair  on  the  side  of  the  Asiatic  Bear,  10  inches. 

The  hair  on  the  side  of  the  Goat,  9  inches. 

The  hair  on  the  breast  of  the  Canadian  Elk,  7  inches. 

The  hair  on  the  side  of  the  White  or  Polar  Bear,  6  inches. 

The  hair  on  the  back  of  the  Egyptian  Sheep,  5|  inches. 

The  beard  of  the  same,  5  inches. 

The  hair  on  the  back  of  the  Grizzly  Bear,  4  inches. 

The  hair  from  the  back  of  the  Striped  Hyena,  3j  inches. 

The  hair  upon  the  back  of  the  Prairie  Wolf,  3  inches. 

The  hair  upon  the  back  of  the  Ichneuman,  2|  inches; 

The  wool  on  the  body  of  the  Buffalo,  2  inches. 

The  hair  from  the  side  of  the  African  Leopard,  2  inches. 

The  long  hairs  on  the  back  of  the  Raccoon,  2  inches. 

The  long  hairs  on  the  Ferret,  the  Possum  and  the  Stone  Marten,  l^  of  an  inch. 

The  hair  on  the  back  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Marten,  the  Lynx  and  the  Kangaroo,  1T%  of 
an  inch. 

The  hair  of  the  Kangaroo  Rat,  1-^  of  an  inch; 

The  fur  of  the  Chinchilli,  1T2¥  of  an  inch, 

The  fur  of  the  English  Rabbit,  1  inch. 

The  fur  of  the  Blue  Jennet,  -f$  of  an  inch. 

The  fur  of  the  Black  Jennet,  -^  of  an  inch. 

The  fur  of  the  White  Mink,  -^  of  an  inch. 

The  fur  of  the  Ermine,  ^  of  an  inch. 

The  fur  of  the  Mole,  T3T  of  an  inch. 

Some  writers  are  of  opinion  that  the  length  of  hair  is  indicative  of  the  strength  of  the 
animal,  but  we  believe  that  this  is  an  error;  it  is  its  tenacity  which  is  the  test. 

Of  the  Manner  of  Ascertaining  the  Diameter  of  Pile. — The  diameter  of  pile  is  ascer- 
tained by  the  microscope  and  micrometer.  Of  this  latter  instrument  there  are  several 
kinds,  some  of  which  are  well  described  in  Quekett  on  the  Microscope,  from  page  189  to 
196.  Before  the  discovery  of  this  instrument,  the  fineness  (diameter)  of  wool  was  a  mere 
guess,  founded  xipon  the  experience  of  the  wool  stapler ;  now  it  is  a  matter  of  mathematical 
certainty.  But,  in  order  so  to  render  it,  the  filaments  must  not  be  measured  while  lying 
horizontally  upon  the  stage  of  the  microscope ;  but  disks  must  be  cut  in  the  manner 
described  in  this  work.  A  microscope  and  micrometer  is  a  very  expensive  apparatus,  and 
moreover  it  is  not  every  possessor  who  can  use  them  effectually  without  considerable  expe- 
rience ;  it  therefore  struck  us  that  a  cheap  and  simple  instrument,  which  will  enable  the 
sheep-breeder  to  ascertain  the  relative  fineness  of  fleece,  would  be  a  valuable  acquisition, 
and  we  believe  that  such  a  one  can  be  suggested.  There  is  a  point  of  approximation  to 
the  eve  where  objects  can  be  distinctly  seen,  this  point  is  different  in  different  individuals, 
according  as  they  are  long  or  short  sighted,  or  have  sight  of  the  usual  and  medium  kind, 


Oil.  A  TREATISE  ON  PILF,. 

where  it  is  about  eight  inches.  To  ihe  latter,  as  a  general  rule,  it  may  be  observed  that 
the  smallest  square,  magnitude  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  either  of  white  particles  upon  a 
black  ground,  or  of  black  particles  upon  a  white  ground,  is  4 ,', .  of  an  inch,  but  when  the 
substance  is  in  lines  instead  of  particles,  it  may  be  seen,  if  held  towards  the  light,  when 
only  ^TjVo  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  finest  wool  that  we  have  examined,  corning  from 
the  body  of  a  sheep,  is  o-iVo  Part  of  an  inch,  which,  according  to  the  above  rule,  can  be 
seen  with  the  naked  eye.  There  is  a  point  beyond  which  an  object  cannot  be  seen ; 
owing,  perhaps,  to  the  light  being  absorbed  before  it  reaches  the  retina.  This  point,  (which 
is  called  the  "  vanishing  point,")  must,  of  course,  depend  upon  the  eye,  the  light,  the  color 
and  the  size  of  the  object ;  where  the  light,  the  color  and  the  size  of  two  or  more  objects,  are 
alike  the  distance  of  the  vanishing  point,  to  the  same  eye,  must  always  be  identical.  Now  we 
propose  that  a  series  of  tubes,  to  draw  out  one  from  another,  like  those  of  a  telescope,  be  con- 
structed of  sufficient  length  that,  when  fully  drawn,  they  are  equal  to  the  vanishing  point  of 
the  coarsest  wool  desired  to  be  examined.  Upon  a  piece  of  card  arrange  a  series  of  strands  of 
wool,  in  the  order  of  fineness,  the  diameters  of  which  have  been  previously  ascertained  with 
the  microscope  and  micrometer.  Upon  a  similar  card  stretch  a  strand  of  the  wool,  the  relative 
diameter  of  which  it  is  required  to  ascertain,  and,  upon  fixing  it  near  one  end  of  the  tube, 
(one  eye  to  the  other  end,)  draw  out  till  you  find  the  vanishing  point  of  the  strand.  Re- 
move this  card  and  put  the  other  one  in  its  place,  when  it  will  be  perceived  which  of  the 
filaments  upon  it  is  at  its  vanishing  point,  and  the  diameter  of  that  strand  will  be  the  one 
required.  The  tubes  may  be  made  of  tin  or  even  of  pasteboard,  but  ought  to  be  blackened 
in.-ide.  The  measured  wool  upon  the  cards  can  be  procured  in  this  city  for  a  triile. 

OF  HYPERTROPHY  OR  UNNATURAL  GROWTH  OF  HATR. — When  hair  grows  to  such  an 
unnatural  length  as  to  cause  disease,  it  is  called  "hypertrophy."*  Dr.  Gross  tells  of  a 
young  lady  who  died  of  this  disease  She  had  always  experienced  an  unusual  growth  of 
hair,  and  generally  kept  it  cut  short;  but,  a  few  months  before  her  death,  it  grew  down  to 
her  heels.  It  was  flaxen  and  had  a  soft  oily  feeling.  The  account  concludes  with  the 
remark  that  a  post-mortem  examination  showed  that  the  unnatural  growth  of  hair  had 
caused  her  death. f 

OF  DEPILATION. — Some  Malays  destroy  the  hair  with  quick-lime,  the  isolated  ones 
being  plucked  out  with  tweezers.  (Latham,  Nat.  Hist,  of  Var.  of  Men,  148.)  Most 
American  Indian  tribes  pluck  out  their  beards. 

OF  THE  DISCOTOME. — Description  of  a  very  convenient  instrument  for  cut  ting  transverse 
sections  or  disks  of  hair,  which  we  call  a  Discotome.f 

h 

*  From  hyper  uper,  or  above,  and  trix,  hair. 

t  The  corrosive  medicines  used  to  take  a\vnv   superfluous  hair  are  called  "  Ertillolirn;"  from  "ek,"  out,  and  "tillo,"  to 
pluck. 

j  From  discos,  a  disk,  and  temno,  to  cut. 

26 


104  TIUCHOLOUIA  MAMMAUl'M  : 

It  consists  of  a  cylindrical  metal  box,  (ours  is  of  brass,)  of  a  convenient  size  to  hold  in 
the  hand,  (ours  is  If  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  two  inches  in  length.)  The  bottom  is 
permanent,  but  the  top  screws  on.  In  the  centre  of  each  end  is  a  circular  opening  of  the 
diameter  of  1  of  an  inch.  A  cylinder  of  this  last  diameter,  extends  from  the  interior  sur- 
face of  the  bottom  of  the  box  to  that  of  its  top.  This  cylinder,  when  the  top  of  the  box  is 
unscrewed,  can  be  taken  out,  but  when  the  top  is  screwed  down,  remains  fixed  by  a  shoulder 
directly  opposite  to  the  openings.  In  the  opening  at  the  bottom  of  the  box  is  a  screw 
thread,  into  which  fits  a  screw  1^  inches  long  ;  this  screw,  which  is  turned  by  the  agency 
of  a  millhead,  and  which  is  seen  below  the  bottom  of  the  box,  passes  up  the  small  cylinder, 
its  end  pushing  forward  every  object  resting  upon  it,  forcing  the  other  end  of  the  object 
through  the  superior  opening  of  the  box.  The  thread  of  the  screw  and  the  circumference 
of  the  millhead  are  so  graduated,  that  one  revolution  of  the  latter  advances  the  screw  just 
T^7  of  an  inch.  Pieces  of  cork  are  cut  so  as  to  fit  the  small  cylinder ;  through  the  centre 
of  one  of  these  pieces  of  cork  is  passed  a  fine  needle  carrying  a  thread,  by  returning  it 
again  through  the  same  perforation  a  loop  is  formed,  through  this  loop  pass  the  hair  from 
which  the  disk  is  required  to  be  cut,  then  draw  the  other  end  of  the  thread  until  the  hair 
doubles  and  passes  down  through  the  perforation  in  the  cork.  After  having  applied  a 
very  small  quantity  of  gum  to  the  perforation  around  the  hair  to  keep  it  perpendicular  in 
its  place,  put  the  cork  into  the  small  cylinder,  one  end  of  it  resting  upon  the  screw,  and 
the  other  passing  through  the  opening  in  the  top  of  the  box,  and  remaining  exactly  level 
therewith.  This  done,  turn  the  millhead  in  proportion  to  the  thickness  of  the  disk 
required  to  be  cut,  and  when  the  cork  makes  its  appearance  above  the  top  of  the  box  the 
distance  required,  cut  off  a  disk  of  the  cork,  with  the  hair  enclosed  in  it,  with  a  sharp 
razor,  ground  flat  on  one  side  only.  These  disks  may  be  placed  under  the  microscope  in 
the  cork,  or  they  may  be  extracted  and  viewed  separately,  as  desired.  In  either  method 
the  shape  of  the  pile  may  be  seen,  and  the  diameter  taken  with  the  utmost  accuracy. 

The  diameters  of  pile  have  been  variously  estimated  by  different  authors,  say,  by  Haller 
and  Mussenchenbroech  at  T^7  of  an  inch,  by  Robinson  at  ¥{^  to  ¥^7  of  an  inch,  by  Withof 
at,  black,  -s}-^,  brown,  •%$-%,  and  blonde,  at  yiT  of  an  inch. 

So  the  same  pile  lias  been  said  to  vary  in  thickness.  Thus,  according  to  Weber,  the 
thickness  of  a  negro's  -wool  was,  at  one  point,  0.019  lines  in  its  least  diameter,  and  0.038 
in  its  greatest  diameter,  and,  at  another  point,  0.023  in  its  least  and  0.038  in  its  greatest 
diameter.  Another  fibre  of  negro's  wool  is  said  to  have  measured,  upon  four  points,  as 
follows : 

Greatest  diameter.  Least  diameter. 
0.0425  0.0310 

0.0470  0.0340 

0.0425  0.0295 

0.0410  0.0340 

OF  TAPERING  HAIR. — Having  found  that  the  hair  of  Albinos  was  very  tapering,  from 
root  to  point,  we  took  the  diameters  which  were  as  follows : 
The  hair  of  Mary  M.  Williams,  greatest  diameter  5^,  least 


u 
It 


OR,  A  TUKAT1SK  ON   1'II.K.  ]()/, 

The  hair  of  Mr.  Spence,  greatest  diameter  ¥}g,  least  -s^. 
Dr.  Ure  gives  the  following  diameters  of  wool : 
Finest  Saxon,  at  5s  per  lb.,  lTV^  °f  an  inch. 
Second  Saxon,  at  3s  per  lb.,  -J^TT  of  an  inch. 
Spanish  wool,  3s  6d  per  lb.,  from  TIVo  ^°  TsW  °f  an  inch. 

Mr.  Youatt  gives  the  following  as  the  scale  of  fineness  of  wools.  Coarse,  when  more 
than  -gfa  of  an  inch;  fine,  when  not  exceeding  -9-^T,  and  very  fine,  when  it  does  not 
exceed  y^Vcr  Part  °f  an  inch. 

We  have  found  the  finest  Saxony  wool  of  the  United  States  to  be 
The  finest  wool  of  Saxony  and  Prussia,  - 

"      Wool  of  Hungary,  Tir>f5 

"          "  "        Prussian  Silesian,    -  . 

"  "  "         near  Berlin, 

"       Russia, 
"       Mecklenberg,     - 

"       Deccan,  (East  Indies,)  - 

English  Saxony, 

Merino,  ^ 

Australia,  ^ 

"       Odessa,  T-^ 

"  "       Van  Dieman's  Land,  T|-0- 

"  "  "    Walachia,  in  European  Turkey,     -  5|? 

Egypt,  -2-ii 

OF  HAIR  MANIPULATIONS. — Those  who  are  desirous  of  making  manipulation  of  hair, 
(or,  indeed,  of  any  thing  else,)  without  the  microscope,  but  under  a  moderate  magnifying 
power,  should  provide  themselves  with  a  pair  of  microscopic  spectacles,  the  bridge  of  the 
frame  of  which,  resting  on  the  nose,  while  the  lenses  are  at  the  proper  focal  distance  from 
the  eye ;  leave  both  hands  of  the  manipulator  at  liberty,  instead  of  obliging  him  to  hold 
the  magnifier  in  one  hand  and  to  work  with  the  other  only,  in  the  usual  manner.  These 
spectacles  are  as  simple  in  their  construction  as  they  are  useful  in  practice.  The  magni- 
fying glass  has  a  hinge,  and  opens  inwards  from  the  spectacle  glass,  so  that  it  can,  at 
pleasure,  in  a  moment,  be  either  placed  or  removed:  By  this  arrangement  you  may  use 
these  spectacles  as  a  microscope  of  moderate  power,  or  as  a  common  pair  of  spectacles. 

OF  THE  EXUBERANCE  OF  PILE. — 

"But  even  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered." — Luke,  12:  7. 

Withof  found  upon  i  of  a  square  inch  of  a  male,  moderately  hairy,  from  the  synciput, 
293  hairs;  chin,  39;  pubis,  34;  forearm,  23;  at  the  exterior  border  of  the  back  of  the 
hand,  19 ;  at  the  anterior  side  of  the  thigh,  13.  Upon  the  same  amount  of  surface  the 
hairs  varied  in  number,  according  to  color,  thus :  black,  147;  brown,  162  ;  blonde,  182. 


1()(3  TRICIIOLOOIA  MAMMALIUM: 

Goldsmith  says  that  it  is  observable  among  quadrupeds,  as  well  as  among  ihe  human 
species  itself,  that  a  thin,  sparing  diet  is  apt  to  produce  hair;  children  that  have  been 
ill-fed,  famished  dogs  and  horses  are  more  hairy  than  others  whose  food  has  been  more 
plentiful. [!]  (Nat.  Hist,  of  Man,  2  v.,  p.  106.) 

The  Hindoos  undertake  to  enumerate  the  hairs  upon  one  of  our  species.  A  woman  who, 
upon  the  death  of  her  husband,  (says  Unggira,)  ascends  the  burning  pile  along  with  him, 
is  exalted  to  heaven  for  as  many  years  as  there  are  hairs  on  the  human  body,  that 
is,  35,000,000. 

OF  HAIR  GROWING  IN  TUFTS. — Hairs  (which  are  seen  upon  trie  foetus)  are  rarely  isolated, 
but  are  found  disposed  of,  sometimes  in  duplicates,  sometimes  in  triplicates,  and  at  others 
in  quadruplicates,  or  even  quintubles.  (Eschricbt  in  Muller,  Arch.,  1837,  p.  43.)  And 
it  is  very  probable  that  the  same  arrangement  may  exist  in  regard  to  the  hair  of  the  lower 
animals;  for  while  examining  the  skin  of  a  Russian  Dog,  tanned  with  the  hair  on,  with 
another  object  in  view,  we  observed  that  the  follicles  were  in  triplicates.  We  have  also 
observed  that  the  fur  of  the  Mole  grows  in  tufts,  and  so  does  the  wool  of  the  Bushman  boy, 
as  has  been  noticed.  (See  post,  wool  staple.)  And  it  is  also  beautifully  shown  in  the  skin 
of  the  Platyphus  Ornithorinchus.  (See  Chapter  I.)* 

We  have,  in  our  cabinet,  a  specimen  of  hair  which  grew  in  tufts  upon  a  gentleman's 
shoulder. 

OF  THE  RAPID  GROWTH  OF  PILE. — Withof  found  that  the  beard  grows  a  line  in  a  week, 
or  4  inches  in  a  year,  which,  in  a  life  of  fifty  years,  would  make  upwards  of  16  feet  of 
beard. 

We  found  the  beard  to  grow,  upon  a  male  adult  of  60,  in  good  health,  J-0-  of  an  inch  in 
24  hours. 

Absalom  polled  his  hair  once  a  year,  "  because  it  was  heavy  upon  him,"  and  it  weighed 
200  shekels,  after  the  king's  weight,  f 

Hair  is  said  to  grow  more  rapidly  in  summer  than  in  winter.  (Diet.  Des.  Sci.  Med., 
v.  43,  p.  496.)  Sed  qusere? 

The  fur  upon  the  abdomen  of  amphibious  fur-bearing  animals  is  the  finest,  and  that  on 
the  back  is  the  coarsest.  With  land  fur-bearing  animals,  it  is  the  very  reverse. 

The  finest  wool  is  on  the  back  of  the  sheep,  and  is  called  "picklock." 

The  specimens  of  Saxony  wool,  presented  to  us  by  the  King  of  Saxony,  represent  the 
filaments  from  the  shoulders,  the  back,  under  the  belly,  the  tail  and  the  legs — so  that  from 
the  specimens  you  may  form  an  opinion  of  the  whole  fleece. 

OF  THE  REGENERATION  OF  PILE. — Of  the  fall  and  regeneration  of  hair  in  the  foetus,  we 

*  Hair  of  the  limbs  of  the  body  of  some  of  the  Papuans,  of  Darnly  Island,  grow  in  small  tufts.     (Latham,  Nat.  Hist,  of 
Var.,  &c.,  215.) 

t  Shekel,  ancient  Hebrew  weight,  0.032086  pounds.     (Alexander.) 


01?,  A  TKKATISK  OX  I'lLK.  107 

speak  in  another  place,  and  what  is  there  said  mvd  not  be  here  repeated.  (See  Chapter 
V.)  But,  besides  what  is  there  noticed,  it  is  worthy  of  observation  that,  during  our  whole 
lives,  there  is  an  almost  insensible  regeneration  of  hair.  We  may,  in  almost  every  hairy 
region,  find  long  and  short  hairs,  and,  upon  dissection,  hairs  are  always  found  beneath  the 
<  jiidcrmis,  not  having  yet  pierced  that  integument.  This  regeneration,  as  we  have  else- 
where remarked,  is  a  portion  of  the  law  of  living  organism,  and  not  a  peculiar  property  of 
pile. 

On  the  regeneration  of  pile  after  having  been  drawn  out,  Heusinger  observes,  that  there 
is  found,  in  the  follicle  first,  a  thin,  reddish,  or  flesh-red  colored  liquid;  afterward,  and 
deeper,  a  soft,  reddish,  fleshy  substance,  which  adheres  to  the  sheath  and  to  the  bottom  of 
the  follicle,  but  which  holds  only  here  and  there  to  the  sides  of  the  latter.  The  hair  passes 
through  the  middle  of  this  substance.  After  the  shaft  has  been  drawn  out,  the  fleshy  sub- 
stance* swells,  and  is  filled  with  blood  In  three  days  it  returns  again  to  its  natural  state. 
tu  its  midst  is  then  discovered  a  dark,  clotted  mass,  rising  from  the  bottom  of  the  follicle. 
Five  days  after  the  hair  has  been  drawn  out,  a  hair,  of  the  length  of  two  millimeters,  is 
produced.  Heusinger  adds,  that  he  has  seen,  in  the  same  follicle,  alongside  of  the  old 
dried  bulb,  [sheath?]  a  new  hair  produced,  taking  upon  itself  the  form  of  a  black  globule. 
The  new  hair  (he  says)  grows  immediately  upon  the  old  one,  [the  sheath?]  and  pierces 
the  skin  right  alongside  of  it. 

This  wonderful  power  to  produce  a  new  hair  ought  not  to  excite  surprise,  when  we  call 
to  mind  the  reproductive  power  of  some  of  the  Crustacea.  A  Crab  or  Lobster,  which  has 
been  deprived  of  a  leg  or  an  antena,  can,  in  a  short  space  of  time,  replace  it  by  a  new  one, 
which  proceeds  from  the  stump.  So  the  antler  of  the  Stag  (which  sometimes  weighs  30 
pounds)  is  reproduced  in  ten  weeks.  The  old  ones,  having  arrived  at  maturity,  no  longer 
receive  the  same  nourishment  from  the  powerful  vessels  which  were  instrumental  in  their 
production;  still,  for  a  limited  time,  they  continue  to  live  at  the  expense  of  their  interior 
vessels ;  but  these  gradually  diminish  in  capacity,  and  the  necessary  blood  diminishes, 
until  eventually  they  die  and  fall. 

Bichat  justly  remarks,  that  the  season  of  regeneration  of  all  these  integuments  is  one  of 
much  bodily  weakness,  and  is  sometimes  of  incipient  disease.  He  attributes  this  to  the 
unusual  attraction  of  the  products  of  nutrition,  to  the  exterior,  at  the  expense  of  the  vital 
functions.  This  is  a  valuable  hint  to  the  owners  of  horses,  sheep  and  other  domestic 
animals,  to  be  tender  to  them  when  they  are  renewing  their  coats. 

"A  merciful  man  is  merciful  to  his  beasts." 

It  ought  also  to  teach  parents  to  be  very  careful  of  their  children  at  the  season  of 
puberty. 

OF  THE  GRADUAL  AND  PERIODICAL  DEciDENCE  OF  PILE. — There  are  some  writers  who 
entertain  the  opinion  that  pile,  at  certain  periods,  attains  the  maximum  of  its  development 
when  the  stalk  becomes  a  dead  mass,  like  the  horns  of  the  Stag,  liable  to  be  separated  from 

-*  Query,  if  this  is  not  the  sheath. 
27 


108  TUICHOLOGIA  MAMMALH'M: 

its  root  by  the  slightest  force.  Against  this  opinion  it  has  been  urged,  that  the  hair  of  the 
head  has  been  known  to  suddenly  become  grey,  [colorless;]  which  (they  say)  is  proof 
that  it  still  retains  a  secretion  from  its  proper  vessels.  It  is  replied,  that  this  sudden 
change  (or,  more  properly  speaking,  loss)  of  color  is  due  to  chemical  action.  But  this 
latter  position  is,  in  its  turn,  met  by  the  rejoinder  that  the  grey  [white]  color  commences, 
in  general,  at  the  point  [?]  of  the  hair;  and,  also,  that  sometimes  it  does  not  act  on  all  the 
hairs  simultaneously,  which  it  ought  to  do  if  it  were  a  chemical  change. 

These  are  all  very  curious  questions ;  but  it  is  believed  that  we  have  not,  at  present, 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  modus  operandi  to  discuss  them  to  any  advantage. 

However,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  in  regard  to  pile  generally,  if  not  universally,  there 
is  a  decidence,  which  is  sometimes  gradual,  and  at  oihers  periodical.  The  former  may  be 
remarked  in  the  slow  and  constant  manner  in  which  the  hair  of  our  heads  falls  out  and  is 
renewed;  and  is,  most  probably,  due  to  a  general  law  of  our  nature  causing  production, 
perfection,  decay,  and  renewal  of  tissues.  The  latter  appears  to  be  a  wise  provision  to 
secure  the  animal  who  depends  upon  his  natural  clothing,  from  suffering  from  the  changes 
of  seasons.  Most  animals,  whose  covering  is  hair,  renew  their  coats  at  least  once  a  year ; 
in  the  Horse  it  is  shed  twice,  viz :  in  the  spring  and  the  autumn,  as  may  be  observed  in 
his  wild  state;  when  domesticated  and  stabled,  it  is  transformed  somewhat  into  a  gradual 
decidence.  In  the  Deer  tribe  there  is  a  regular  period;  less  so  in  the  Ox,  and  least  of 
all  in  the  Dog. 

Goldsmith  tells  us,  that  when  the  hair  of  the  Reindeer  drops,  it  is  not  from  the  root,  as 
in  other  quadrupeds,  but  that  it  seems  to  be  broken  short  near  the  bottom.  (Nat.  Hist,  of 
Man,  &c.,  319.)  We  have  had  no  means  of  examining  this  phenomenon. 

For  this  natural  falling  of  the  wool  in  the  case  of  Sheep,  shearing  has  been  substituted. 
But  there  are  some  notable  cases  which  would  appear  to  be  exceptions  to  the  law.  One 
of  these,  namely,  a  Merino  of  Lord  Western,  is  noticed  in  the  English  books,  where  the 
fleece  was  retained,  without  the  slightest  disposition  to  separate  from  the  animal,  for  three 
years.  (See  Lib.  of  Usf.  Know.,  p.  63.)  And  we  have,-  in  our  cabinet,  a  specimen  of 
Merino  wool,  presented  by  Mr.  Aaron  Clements,  of  this  city,  which  was  the  first  shearing 
of  a  three  years'  old  Merino  ram,  and  which  is  18  inches  long  without  being  stretched. 
(See  upon  this  point,  Luccock  on  Sheep,  p.  118.) 

OF    THE     RESTORATION     OF     PlLE,    THAT     HAS     BEEN     DETERIORATED,    TO     ITS    ORIGINAL 

INTEGRITY. — Prichard  relates,  that  the  wild  hogs  of  "the  new  world,  the  descendants  of 
the  animals  left  there  by  Europeans,  bear  a  resemblance  to  the  Wild  Boar  of  France — 
the  skin  being  covered  with  thick  fur,  [wool,]  often  somewhat  crisp,  beneath  which,  in 
some  individuals,  is  a  species  of  wool.* 

If  these  animals  are  so  much  like  the  Wild  Boar  of  France,  why  may  they  not  have 
descended  from  a  wild  species  of  America? 

~>:  There  may  be  varieties,  but  there  is  buto«e  species  of  wool. 


OH,  A  TREATISE  ON   PILE.  |(l«l 

OF  THE  ENDURANCE  AND  EREMACAUSIS*  OF  PILE. — Raspail  says,  that  cold  checks  the 
development  of  organized  beings,  but  that  it  preserves  organized  substances,  indefinitely, 
without  alteration.  In  proof  of  the  second  branch  of  the  proposition,  he  refers  to  the 
Mammoth  that  was  found  enveloped  in  ice,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Lena,  and  to  the 
bodies  of  the  Spaniards  which  have  lain,  unchanged,  on  the  icy  summits  of  the  Cor- 
dilleras, from  the  time  of  the  first  conquest  of  Pern.  He  also  observes,  that  when  they 
are  afterwards  thawed,  these  organized  bodies  putrefy  more  rapidly  than  those  that  have 
not  been  exposed  to  the  influence  of  a  low  temperature.  This  last  remark  is,  perhaps, 
less  correct  in  regard  to  pile  than  some  other  organi/cd  substances,  for  we  have,  in  our 
collection,  specimens  of  the  hair  of  the  Mammoth,  above  alluded  to,  which  has  suffered 
very  little,  comparatively,  from  being  thawed.  Having,  in  a  previous  Chapter,!  given  a 
full  description  of  that  hair,  we  will,  in  this  place,  merely  notice  that  one  inch  of  it 
showed  considerable  ductility  and  elasticity,  and  required,  to  break  it,  from  4,500  to 
4,600  grains. 

In  1774,  an  apparently  deserted  ship  was  met  in  the  Polar  Sea,  encumbered  with  snow 
and  ice.  On  boarding  her,  a  solitary  man  was  found  in  the  cabin,  his  fingers  holding  a 
pen,  while  before  him  laid  the  record  which  he  had  traced  twelve  years  before.  No 
appearance  of  decay  was  visible,  except  a  little  green  mould  upon  his  forehead. 

Bichat  attribiites  the  great  endurance  of  pile  to  its  exterior  envelope  [cortex.]  He  says 
that  when  pile  is  deprived  of  the  action  of  air,  ages  may  pass  away  without  any  exhibition 
of  alteration.  (Anat.  Gen.,  v.  2,  p.  786.) 

He  further  remarks,  that  "pile  does  not  contain  the  principle  of  decomposition  which 
belongs  to  other  animal  substances."  We  doubt  whether  we  understand  what  this  learned 
anatomist  means  by  "  the  principle  of  decomposition,"  since  no  one  knows  better  than  he 
did  that  pile  consists,  essentially,  of  a  substance  allied  to  gelatine  and  bisulphuret  of 
proteine.f 

Bichat  still  further  remarks,  that  '-pile  never  rots,  neither  in  air  nor  in  water;  that  its 
endurance  is  superior  to  the  epidermis,  as  may  be  proved  by  boiling  or  macerating  them 
together."  That  pile  has  a  greater  endurance  than  the  epidermis  or  dermis,  we  have,  in 
our  cabinet,  several  specimens  which  will  furnish  ample  proofs;  as  a  small  piece  of  the 
skin  and  a  portion  of  hair,  from  the  skull  of  a  Mummy,  from  Pisco,  Peru,  presented  by 
Prof.  Samuel  G.  Morton,  M.  D.;  a  piece  of  the  skin  with  a  portion  of  the  hair  attached, 
from  the  skull  of  a  young  Indian  from  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  at  Pachacamack,  five  leagues 
from  Lima,  presented  by  Prof.  Joseph  Pancoast,  M.  D.  This  cemetery  has  not  been  used 
since  the  Spanish  Conquest,  previously  to  which  (according  to  Herrera)  it  was  kept 
sacred  for  the  nobility  of  Peru.  The  skins,  in  both  these  cases,  are  much  more  decayed 


*  Eremacausis  includes  putrefaction,  fermentation  and  decay ;  it  is  from  "  eremos,"  destitute,  and  "  kau,"  to  dry  up  or  wither. 

t  See  Chapter  III. 

J  This  substance  has  for  formula,  Carbon,  13 ;  Hydrogen,  10 ;  Nitrogen,  3 ;  Oxygen,  5  ;  and  Gelatine  (which  is  the  form 
of  gelatine  which  is  obtained  from  the  skin,  serous-membrane,  hoof,  bone,  tendon  and  cartilage,)  having  the  formula  of 
Carbon,  13  :  Hydrogen,  10;  Nitrogen,  2,  and  Oxygen,  5.  (Van  Laer.) 


110  TIUCIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

than  the  hair.  In  the  last  one  the  epidermis  has  the  appearance  of  tanned  leather,  partly 
decayed. 

We  have  a  lock  of  hair,  taken  from  the  head  of  an  infant  who  was  buried  twenty-one 
years,  which  is  in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation,  while  the  skin  is  entirely  decayed. 
We  might  as  well  also  notice  again,  the  instances  of  hair  found  in  the  stomach  of  Rumi- 
nants, and  expelled  from  the  uterus,  which,  except  that  the  button  is  decayed  or  not  to  be 
found,  is  not  very  much  injured. 

We  have  some  hair  from  the  head  of  a  lady,  that  was  in  the  grave  thirty-two  years. 
It  has  lost  its  ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity. 

OF  THE  TRANSPLANTING  OF  HAIR. — Dieffenbach*  and  Weismanf  assert  that  a  hair 
may  be  drawn  out  of  one  place  and  transplanted  in  another.  Muller  admits  the  possibility 
but  denies  the  probability  of  this  statement.  (See  Eletn.  Phys.,  119.) 

OF  THE  EFFECT  OF  DISEASES  OF  THE  BODY  UPON  HAIR. — For  much  information  upon 
this  head,  see  Rayer  and  Wilson  upon  Diseases  of  the  Skin.  See  also  Traite  des  Maladie  du 
Cuir  Chevelu  par  Cazenave,  1850.  Dr.  Green,  (in  Diseases  of  the  Skin,  p.  286,)  says  that 
the  secreting  bulbs  (follicles)  of  the  hair,  are  secondarily  or  primarily  affected  in 
several  diseases;  that  exanthematousj  fevers  are  particularly  apt  to  cause  a  temporary 
suspension  of  their  functions,  so  that  the  hair  is  generally  shed  on  the  return  of  con- 
valescence. In  some  instances  (he  adds)  it  amounts  to  a  complete  annihilation  of  their 
office,  when  permanent  baldness  is  the  consequence. 

In  such  cases  we  siippose  that  the  follicle  is  destroyed.  It  has  been  remarked  that  the 
wool  of  sickly  or  murrain  sheep  is  finer,  though  it  has  less  tenacity  and  possesses  no  lustre. 
And  Mr.  Luccock  (speaking  of  the  wool  of  old  sheep  which  had  lost  their  yolk)  says 
that  it  "  dies  in  the  bowl,"  i.  e.  that  it  sinks  in  the  water  in  which  it  is  washed. 

OF  DISEASES  OF  PILE. — Bichat  was  of  opinion  that  the  exterior  envelope  of  the  hair 
(the  cortex)  is  lifeless  and  insensible,  and  that  therefore  it  cannot  be  the  seat  of  any 
disease,  either  acute  or  chronic;  from  which  he  leaped  to  the  conclusion  that  grey  (color- 
less) hair,  cannot  be  the  subject  of  disease.  (See  Anat.  Genl.,  2  v.,  p.  786.)  But  when 
Bichaf  wrote  this  passage,  it  was  supposed  that  a  hair  was  composed  of  a  cortex  and 
medula  (coloring  matter)  only. 

OF  PLICA  POLONICA.§ — A  monstrous  deal  has  been  written  upon  this  disease;  never- 
theless, there  are  some  authors  who  doubt  its  existence.  It  is  said  that  hair,  under  its 
influence,  is  enlarged  in  bulk,  and  that  a  passage  is  formed  for  red  blood,  which  exudes, 

*  Norm,  do  Regen.  et  transplan.,  Wurzbourg,  1832. 
t  De  eolitum  partium,  Leipzick,  1824,  p.  33. 
J  From  exanthemela,  eruption. 

\  From pJico,  to  knit,  and  Polonica,  of  Poland,  "the  Polish  knit,"  because  the   disease  was  thought  to  be  peculiar  to 
Poland,  and  that  it  caused  the  hair  to  knit  or  cntanyle. 


OK,  A  TREATISE  UN   I'lLF,.  111 

when  the  stalk  is  cut.  (See  Good's  Study  of  Nature,  v.  5,  p.  678;  Lib.  of  IM.  Know., 
56,  and  Bichat's  Anat.  Genl.,  v.  2,  p.  789,  &c.,  &c.)  The  most  complete  summary  of 
Plica  Polonica,  willjDe  found  in  Diet,  des  Sci.  Med.,  Paris,  1820,  v.  43,  p.  226,  tit.  "fflique," 
where  all  that  had  been  previously  written  upon  the  subject  by  fifteen  preceding  authors,  is 
collected  and  arranged  under  appropriate  heads.  From  this  compendium  it  would  seem 
that  there  are  five  varieties  of  this  disease,  to  which  man  is  subject  at  all  ages,  and  that  it 
has  been  traced  to  the  lower  animals  when  they  are  domesticated.  That  it  is  not  confined 
to  the  hair  of  the  head,  but  extends  to  all  the  hair  of  the  body,  &c. ;  that  sometimes  it 
causes  the  hair  to  grow  to  an  extraordinary  length  ;  that  it  makes  its  appearance  more 
frequently  among  those  persons  who  are  the  worst  fed,  the  worst  clothed  and  the  worst 
lodged,  and,  particularly,  if  they  are  uncleanly  ;  that  the  seat  of  the  disease  is  the  folli- 
cle, but  that  its  effects  extend  to  the  stalk  :  that  the  fluid  which  exudes  is  not  blood ;  that 
it  has  been  known  to  attack  the  bulbs  of  the  hair  of  shaven  heads ;  that  the  matting  of  the 
hair  is  not  &  felting  of  1he  filaments  but  their  glutination.  This  is  the  pith  and  marrow  of 
the  information. 

A  case  of  incipient  Plica  Polonica  having  lately  been  discovered,  in  this  city,  we  pro- 
cured some  of  the  pile,  through  Prof.  John  K.  Mitchell,  M.  D. 

Examination  of  the  Hair  of  Annette  Engle,  aged,  11,  born  in  Poland  of  Jewish  parents, 
laboring  under  incipient  Plica  Polonica. — Length,  artificial,  I -fa  of  an  inch;  shape,  gene- 
rally oval ;  mesne  diameter,  5  J--0-  to  ^^  of  an  inch ;  colors,  brown  and  black ;  lustre,  very 
feeble. 

With  270  grains  one  inch  stretched  -J-r>-  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"       370     "  "  "          fa 

"       520     "  "  "          -g\  "  " 

"       620     '•  "  "         -fa  "  minus  /0- 

"       670     "  "  "         ^  "  "       ^ 

"         87ft       "  "  <'  9  «  ti  3 

8/U  -5-0  -8TT 

"         920       "  "  "  |$  "  "         ^j- 

"       970     »  »  «          ft  ••  "       & 

"    1,020     "  "  «          ft  "  "       ft 

"    1,070     "  "  "  "  "       15- 

"    1,120     "  "  "          ft  "  "       il 

"    1,220     "  "-  «          |i  •<  "      ft 

"    1,270     "  "  "          ft  «  «       ft 

V    1,320     "  «  «          ft  ».  «       ft 

1,520  »«  «       2^ 

"    1,770     "  «  "          ft  "  «       2| 

"    1,820     "     broke. 

Fracture,  complicated,  the  cortex  having  parted  and  the  fibres  being  torn  out  arid 
lacerated;  button,  black,  sometimes  club-shaped,  and  at  others  hamate.  (See  fig.  79  ) 
Sheath,  swollen  and  extending  beyond  the  button,  partly  white  and  opaque,  and  partly 
translucent;  shaft,  varying  in  color;  shape  and  diameter,  for  example,  one  shaft, 
which  is  of  a  brown  color  and  of  an  imperfect  shape,  has  a  diameter  of  7^, 
while  another,  which  is  black,  and  of  a  sub-triangular  shape,  has  a  diameter  of 
28 


112  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

2  H"  °f  an  inch;  cortex,  dark-colored  and  opaque;  when  treated  with  terebinthus,  becomes 
partially  translucent,  and  a  greatly  interrupted  dark  coloring  matter  is  then  seen  in  the 
centre  of  the  filament.  Transverse  sections,  viewed  as  opaque  objects,  show  a  dark  sur- 
fice,  with  a  minute  white  central  spot;  disks,  viewed  as  transparent  objects,  show  a  much 
larger  white,  (or  motley,)  irregularly  shaped  centre,  in  which  are  perceived  the  ends  of 
fibrils  and  a  dark  central  spot. 

Having  removed  the  cortex,  fibres  of  a  pure  white  and  lustrous  are  seen.  These  are 
separable  into  fibrils,  one  of  which  measured  the  T^J^7  of  an  inch.  Direction,  at  an  acute 
angle;  inclination,  crisped,  frizzled  and  spirally  curled;  diameter  of  the  curl,  T37  of  an 
inch;  apex,  mostljr  abrupt,  (artificial.) 

OF  THE  HAIR  IN  TINEA  CAPITIS,  OR  FAVUS. — Hair  of  Mary  O'Donnett,  aged  five  years, 
supposed  to  be  laboring  under  Tinea  Capitis,  or  Favus. — Length,  about  2  inches ;  shape, 
oval;  diameter  of  some,  r^  by  ^|T  of  an  inch,  others  ^-J-^  by  -^y.  The  diameter  of  the 
same  filament  sometimes  varying  in  diameter  the  -g^T  part  of  an  inch;  color,  sometimes 
dark  brown,  at  others  horn-colored;  no  lustre;  direction,  at  an  acute  angle;  inclination, 
stiffly  bending  at  nearly  a  right  angle.*  (See  fig.  80.) 
Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  370  grains  one  inch  stretched  ft  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
«      570     "  "  "  -?  "  " 

..       720     "  "  "  — ^r  "  " 

"       770     "  "  ft 

"       820     "  ft  "  minus  ft 

"        87°      "  "  -5H  "  "         flV 

"     92°    "  U  "     A 

"       970     "  "  ^  "'      ft 

"    1,120      "  3.4  "        ,',;; 


TO"  !i '" 

it       1     OOA         -  "  "  3  0  'l  '*  1  8 

IjOsSU  ^^  ^-g- 

"    1,370     "  |f  "  "       f-g- 

"    1,420     " 

"    1,470     "     broke. 

Fracture,  abrupt ;  button,  mostly  obliterated,  leaving  the  end  of  the  shaft  crooked,  rag- 
ged and  discolored,  two  buttons  found  sometimes  adhering,  enclosed  in  the  same  shaft ;  sheath, 
very  much  elongated  and  ragged,  vessels  adhering  of  the  diameter  of  T5Yo  °f  an  inch; 
shaft,  varying  in  diameter  and  color,  bending  abruptly  when  on  the  head,  but  expanding 
when  put  into  water;  apices,  all  abrupt. 

Remarks. — This  pile  is  so  completely  diseased  that  the  button  and  the  inferior  portion 
of  the  shaft  are  destroyed.  The  shaft,  bending  at  nearly  a  right  angle,  is  an  unfavorable 

*  Resembling  in  this  respect  the  pile  of  some  of  the  species  of  animals  who  have  the  paved  cortex. 


OH,  A  TKKATISK  ON  PIU..  II'.1- 

syrnptom,  as  it  shows  that  its  flexibility  is  impaired.  This  examination  shows  that  there 
is  no  probability  of  curing  this  disease  without  shaving  the  head  and  administering  to  the 
follicle. 

OF  PILE  IN  SOFTENING  OF  THE  BRAIN. — Examination  and  Description  of  the  hair  of  the 
head  of  a  male,  aged  00  years,  laboring  under  Softening  of  the  Brain,  from  the  saturation 
of  the  system  by  the  syphilitic  virus. — Specimen  presented  by  D.  I.  Cain,  M.  D.,  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  April,  1852.  General  appearance,  nothing  remarkable  ;  length,  about 
four  inches;  shape,  oval,  some  of  them  slightly  flattened  on  one  of  the  extremities  ot 

the  conjugate  axis  ;  diameter,  ^lo^'h  of  an  ilicn'  color>  of  20  hairs  in  t1le  loclt'  seven  are 
dark  colored,  the  remainder  are  colorless,  apparently  from  age;  lustre,  considerable; 
direction,  flowing,  slightly  curled;  inclination,  no  opportunity  of  examining,  but  pre- 
sumed, from  the  shape,  to  be  at  an  acute  angle  with  the  epidermis.  (See  fig.  81.) 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  270  grains  one  inch  stretched  Jg-  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      470     "  9\ 

"       620     "  -fa 

"       670     "  9% 

"      870     "  35U  minus  ^ 

"       920     "  1£  "  "       „% 

IL        cwn      "  <*  <4  1 3  u  u         'r> 

"  <  <J  "90  9 "0 

"    i  non      "  "  «  i  fi  "  "0 

i,<J^u  -g-0-  -go 

"    1,070      "  f£  "       (*j 

"    1,120     "  |A  «       1^ 

"    1,270     "     broke. 

Fracture,  abrupt;  button,  enveloped  in  a  white,  cellular  substance  which  extends  a 
considerable  distance  up  and  down  the  shaft,  and  prevents  the  button  from  being  defined. 
This  substance  may,  however,  be  rendered  transparent  or  removed  by  maceration,  when 
the  button  is  seen,  reduced  to  a  mere  knob.  The  matter  removed  by  maceration  imparts  to 
the  water  a  milky  hue;  shaft,  cortex  squamose;  central  canal,  interrupted;  fibres,  very 
apparent,  when  the  shaft  is  crushed;  disk,  some  dark  colored  throughout,  others  having  a 
minute,  white,  central  spot. 

Remarks. — The  part  of  this  hair  which  is  in  an  abnormal  condition  is  the  button  and 
posterior  termination  of  the  shaft.  The  former,  which  in  a  healthy  subject  is  naked,  and 
is  the  shape  of  an  oil  flask  and  transparent  or  translucent,  in  this  is  covered  with  the 
white  substance  above  described,  and  has  lost  its  normal  shape  and  transparency.  In  the 
white  matter  of  one  of  these  hairs  are  detected  minute,  highly  colored,  either  fibres  or 
vessels,  for  they  are  so  small  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  their  character  with  the  highest 
powers  of  the  microscope. 


114  TRIC'HOLOGIA  MAMMALIfM: 

THE  EXAMINATION  OF  TWENTY-FOUR  SPECIMENS  OF  DISEASED  PILE. — Presented  by  Dr. 
William  Pepper,  of  this  city  : 

No.  1.      Of  the  Hair  in  the  last  stage  of  Coxalgia,  ( 'hip-disease. ) — Specimen  presented 
by  Dr.  William  Pepper.     Female.     Color,  light  brown;  length,  about  4  inches;  mesne 
diameter,  -^\-s.     All  but  one  hair  has  the  natural  point;  diameter,  ^fa-^',  none  furcated. 
With  230  grains  one  inch  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     280       "  "  "          fa  "  " 

"     420       "  fa  minus  fa 

"     470  fa  "       -fa 

"     520       "  "  li          |f  "  "       -9% 

. .      f^n        4i  t(  "  i  <t  t(  '<         5 

O I  U  ,MI  -gTj 

"         CO  A  it  tt  "  20  "  (i  _0__ 

90  90 

..        fi7O  "  "  "  25  "  <'          J2 

^0  9  0 

"        T^A  "  "  "  SO  "  "17 

/ou  ^^  -§-§ 

"      con        "  "  '<          35  "  "       21 

O^U  -Tj-^y  -g-$- 

"        K'Vn  "  "  "  37  "  "  22 

&7U  -9  IT  HO 

"     920       "     broke. 

Fracture,  abrupt;  button,  normal  shape;  translucent. 

No.  2.  Scrofula,  (  Caries.  J — fUlceration  of  Bone.j — Female — age  19.  Color,  light 
brown;  length,  about  6  inches;  mesne  diameter,  ^}T.  One  of  these  hairs,  drawn  out  of 
the  button,  singularly  disrupted.  (See  fig.  46  c.)  Buttons,  distorted. 

With  320  grains  one  inch  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     370     "  "  fa 

"     470     "  "  -A-  "  " 

"     570     "  "  "  fa 

"     670     "  •'  "  -fa  " 

"     720      •'  "  "  -fa 

"     770     "     broke. 

No.  3.  Phthisis,  (Consumption  of  the  Lungs.  J — Male.  Color,  brown  ;  length,  6  inches; 
mesne  diameter,  ¥{^.  Some  of  the  apices  pointed,  but  mostly  abrupt;  none  furcated; 
buttons,  normal. 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      220      "  "  "          ^  "  minus  fa 

"      270       "  "  "          fa  "  "       fa 

"    17fl    "         '•          "       10        "  "3 

'JO  "90 

"   R7O    "        "         "      14       "  "     7 

'to  "9  ff 

"   720   "      "       "    J-4     "         "    ^ 
"   870   "      "       "    2-&     "         "   -1-4 

"    Q9O    "         "          "       30        "  "     1£ 

u  •fo  ^fo 

"      970  "  "                 "           A^             "                        "  ^^ 

"  1,020  "  "  ff 

"  1,070  "  "  fl 


UK,  A  TKKATISK  ON   H1LK.  11") 

With  1,120  grains  one  inch  stretched  |f  of  an  inch,  elasticity  minus  f* 

"  1,230     "     broke. 

No.  4.    Advanced  Phthisis,  (  Caver  nis.J  —  Advanced  Consumption,  with  cavity  in  /it?i(/s.— 
Male  —  age  20.     Color,  brown  ;  length,  6  inches;  niesne  diameter,  7jT;  buttons,  hamate. 
With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     270     "  -fa 

"     320     "  "  "  -fa 

"     420     "  -fa  minus  /„• 

"     470     "  9%  /ft 

"     520     "  $$ 

"     570     "  |8  "  Vff 

"     620     "  "  "  fg  "  "        if 

"     670     "  "  "  f8  "  "       || 

"     720     "  "  "  f|  "  "       |8 

"     770     "  "  If-  "  "       ff 

"     820     "     fracture. 

No.  5.     Chronic  Pleurisy,  extensive  effusion.  —  Male  —  age  22.     Color,  brown  ;  length,  4 
inches;  mesne  diameter,  -%\-Q',  buttons,  distorted  and  discolored. 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  -Jj-  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      270      "  "  -fa 

"      320     "  J\c  " 

"      670     "  "          -fa  minus  -fa 

"      820     "  "  "  -fa  "  & 

"      970     "  "  "  /ff  "  "        »V 

"  1.020     "  -9%  -fa 

"  i|  -fa 


"  1,170 


"  1,270     "     broke. 

No.  6.  African  Fever,  10  months,  (very  fatal.)  —  Male  —  age  42.  Color,  some  broun 
and  others  without  color;  length,  4  inches;  mesne  diameter,  ^|y.  One  of  these  hairs  is 
bi-colored,  and  its  anterior  extremity  is  very  unusual.  The  anterior  extremity  of  another 
is  remarkable. 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  minus  -fa 


"     42°  "  967  "                          "             -g\ 

"      470  "  "                  "            10  "                              "                 a 

9^  ~5fTT 

520  U                                    A 

"     720  "  "                 "            34  "                            "               iJ. 

"     770  "  *8                                        "              f" 

"     S20  "  broke. 
29 


116  TH1C1IOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

No.  7.    Intermittent  Fever,  6  weeks,  (Fever  and  Ague.) — Male — age  28.    Color,  brown; 
length,  3  inches;  mesne  diameter,  ¥-|T ;  buttons,  small  and  distorted. 

No.  8.     Acute  Rheumatism,  2  weeks. — Male — age  20.     Color,  brown;  length,  6  inches; 
mesne  diameter,  -%%-$',  buttons,  hamate. 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  J^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     370     "  "  "  -92U 

«     520     "  "  "  __^.  " 

"     770     "  "  g\  minus  -fa 

**       ft*?rt       **  ii  4t  1.1  "  (i          4, 

1^0  90 

"     870     "  "  "  ii  "      & 

"     920     "  "  "  —  ^  "  "      11 

"      Q7O      "  "  "  3n  "  "        *-£ 

y '  w  90  90 

"  1,020     "  broke.     Fracture,  abrupt. 

No.   9.      Albuminurea,  6  weeks,  ( Disease  of  the  Kidneys J — Male — age  21.      Color, 
light  brown;  length,  3  inches;  mesne  diameter,  -., £T  ;  button,  normal. 

With  470  grains  one  inch  stretched  ¥V  °f  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

620     "  "  "  J. 

..  n"7A       "  "  «  4  "  " 

I    I\J  -Q*Q 

"       870     "     broke.     Fracture,  abrupt. 

No.  10.     Scrofula. — Female — age  26.     Color,  brown;  length,  7  inches;  mesne  diame- 
ter, 3i^-     One  button  normal,  the  remainder  distorted  and  discolored;  some  furcated. 
With  270  grains  one  inch  stretched  Jff  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
a       370     "  "  "  -^r  "  " 

"       520     "  "  "  -g-%  "  minus  ^ 

"         e"7n      "  "  "  4_  "  "          >_ 

O  /  U  ^j-  -g  *jj 

"  QOft         ••  "  "  5  "  "2 

9(1  "90 

"    i  nvn     "  "  "  6_  "  "      _? 

1  y\J  I  \J  MO  90 

"       1   220        "  "  "  l-pr  "  "  — - 

"     1,320      "  If  "       /o 

i4     1  A  on      it  '*  ((  2-i  **  *'       JL5. 

J         "^  00  Q  0 

u       1    /17O        u  u  u  2jl  «  ((J_3 

?  flO  90 

u       1    ROA        ^  <'  (t  27  *'  i4  1  5. 

AyUAU  -g^  ^Q 

.  (       1    ^-70         **  (i  (i  28.  '*  **  11. 

Xj«J/V/  •Q-Q  ~S  Q 

i(lR9nu  u  i4  31  «  "          _1__8. 

?  •g'Q  QQ 

"    1,670     "     broke.     Fracture,  complicated. 

No.   11.     Typhoid  Fever,  2  weeks. — Male — age  21.     Color,  dark;  length,  3|   inches; 
mesne  diameter,  ^^;  buttons,  some  normal  and  others  abnormal;  none  furcated. 
With  520  grains  one  inch  stretched  ^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

"          620       "  "  "  -%r  "  " 

820     "  "  "  A  "  minus  A 


_ 

^  90 

1  020      "  "  "  9  "  "        -^ 

pVXU  yu  90 


OK,  A  TREATISE  ON    PILE,  117 

With  1,070  grains  one  inch  stretched  11  of  an  inch,  elast.  minus  ,;-',, 

"       1    1 7O        "  "  "  1-fi.  "  "          -JL- 

,  00  90 

"       1    99ft        "  "  "  1s  "  "          _s— 

,  ~Q7)  9~  0 

"       1    97ft        tt  "  "  2  J.  *'  '*  11 

*  f  *  •  *»  'JO  1>  0 

"     1,320     "     broke. 

No.  12.  Intermittent  Fever. — Male — age  37.  Color,  brown;  length,  4  inches;  mesne 
diameter,  3^;  buttons,  some  normal  and  others  club-shaped. 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

''       *}9O       tt  "  (t  -3—  *'  " 

"     420     "              "                <:           -3-            "  " 

"     470     "             "               "          fa           "  minus  fa 
"     520     "     broke.     Fracture,  continuous. 

No.  13.  Anomia. — Female — age  26.  Color,  blonde;  length,  3  inches;  mesne  diam- 
eter, -gfa ;  buttons,  normal. 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
«     270     <<  "  "  fa 

"     420     "                                          fa  minus  fa 

"     470     «                               "           fa            "  "       fa 

"      5°0      "             "                    "              7    •           "  "          2 

"9~0  !i  ii 

-•         £9ft         •  (i  "  10  "  "  1  (I 

•g-ft  ,,  n 

"     670     "     broke.     Fracture,  complicated. 

No.  14.     Phthisis  Tuberculosis,  3^  months,  ( Consumption. ) — Female — age  22.     Color, 
light;  length,  6  inches;  mesne  diameter,  -$\-%',  button,  normal;  apices,  furcated. 
With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

370     "  "  "          fa 

"       470     "  "          fa  minus  fa- 

••  'i->(t        '-  (*  u  7  *(  ('2 

•9TT  '90 

"       570     "     broke. 

No.  15.  Syphilis,  Bubo,  4  months,  (  Venereal  Disease.} — Male — uge  27.  Color,  brown; 
length,  4  inches;  mesne  diameter,  -j-Jg-;  buttons,  normal;  apices,  furcated. 

No.  16.  Syphilis,  Second  Stage,  advanced  to  Ulcer ation,  7  months. — Male — age  38. 
Color,  blonde;  length,  4  inches;  mesne  diameter,  ¥-}-f  ;  buttons,  small,  distorted  and  dis- 
colored, club-shaped,  one  hair  drawn  out  of  the  button. 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      220     "  "  «          fa  »  minus  fa 

"       320     "  "  "  -f  "  "        2- 

"       420     "  "  "  -5  "        8 

"       520     "  "  "  ^c  "  "       ~? 

"       570      "  "  "  1.3.  "  "       _6 

~S  0  9  IT 

"  ^20  "  "                 "           £|                                          "       fa 

"  670  "  "                                                      "       -1.6- 

"  720  "  .       " 

"  770  "  broke.     Fracture. 


1H  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALll  M 

No.  17.  Syphilis,  Eruptive,  6  months,  (still  further  advanced.) — Male — age  38.  Color, 
light ;  length,  4  inches ;  mesne  diameter,  ^T  ;  buttons,  normal. 

With  320  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      520     "  "  "  JV  "  minus  ^ 

"  670          "  "  "  "    %r  "  "  J 

"          s-'M        •-  "  "  5  "  "1 

BO"  T70 

"  920  "  "  "  ^r  "  "  J 

"       970     "  "  "  ||  «  «       ^ 

"    1  020     "  "  "  14.  "  "       _6_ 

90  90 

"    1,070     "  "  "  11  "  "       _a_ 

90  90 

"    1  120     "  "  "  ^-2-  "  "       -L4- 

"    1,170     "  "  "  "  "       l-fi- 

"    1,220     "  "  "  "  "       li 

90  90 

"    1  270      "  "  "  "i  "  "20 

9  0  9"  0' 

"    1,320     "     broke.     Fracture,  complicated. 

No.  13.  Chronic  Bronchitis,  2  months. — Male — age  54  Light  and  without  color  ; 
buttons,  some  normal  and  others  distorted. 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

"      220     "  "  "  -?  "  " 

"  37°  "  •&  minus  ^ 

"  520  "  "  "  ^  "                           "       JL 

"  620  "  "  "  $f-  "       Ji 

"  670  "  "  "  !£  "                           "        i 

T?  0  90 

"       720      "  "  "  2£  44  u         9 

9  0  YTO 

«       770     "  "  "  2.4  "  »       li 

^0  9  0 

"       820     "  "  "  |4  "  "       11 

"       870     "     broke. 

No.  19.  Hair  of  four  Women  advanced  from  eight  to  nine  months  in  pregnancy. — 
Diameter,  ^\-^ — g-£T — ?^T  and  ^IT  ;  buttons,  distorted. 

No.  20.  Acute  Rheumatism,  2  weeks. — Male,  25  ;  color,  light ;  mesne  diameter,  ^\  -$ ; 
buttons,  normal ;  no  furcations. 

No.  21.  Neuralgia,  15  months. — Female — age  28.  Length,  six  inches;  color,  dark; 
mesne  diameter,  -s\^;  generally  but  one  hair  is  eccentrically  elliptical,  spirally  curled  and 
furcated ;  buttons  of  the  natural  shape  but  covered  rvith  a  white  substance. 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  9^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"       320     "  "  "  ^  "  minus  ¥V 

u         520       tt  u  «  B  44  44         JL 

90  90 

•'       870     "  "  ^  "  "        2_ 

"     97°    "  ?V  & 

•4    j  020     "  "  "  9  "  "        4_ 

•'    1,070     "  || 

44        J      120  "  "  "  2i  "  "  '4 

"    1,170     '' 

'•    1,220     li     broke.     Fracture,  abrupl. 


OK,  A  TREATISE  OA  PILE.  U(J 

No.   22.     Amenorrh&a,   1   year,    (whites.)  —  Female,    17.      Color,    brown;    length,    12 
inches;  mesne  diameter,  -^BT  generally;  near  the  apex,  ^i-j  ;  furcated;  button,  normal. 
With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  y1^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 


"    1,070     "  Js          " 

"    1,170     "  IJ, 

"    1,200     "     broke.     Fracture,  complicated. 

No.  23.     Albuminurics,  14  months,  (Disease  of  the  Kidneys.)  —  Female  —  age  24.    Color, 
light;  length,  5  inches;  mesne  diameter,  ^T  ;  button,  decayed. 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  ^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 

"      420     "      broke.     Fracture. 

No.  24.      Typhoid  Fever,  5  weeks.  —  Female.  —  Color,  brown  ;  length,  8  inches  ;  mesne 
diameter,  ¥|  g  ;  button,  of  the  normal  shape,  but  with  a  white  substance  adhering. 
With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 


- 

570          "  "  "  '%r 

670     "  "  '•          - 


-— 

"      770     "     broke.     Fracture. 

The  above  specimens  of  diseased  hair  were  presented  by  us  to  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College  of  Philadelphia. 

OF  THE  PILE  OF  LUNATICS.*  —  After  having,  for  a  considerable  time,  been  engaged  in 
examining  the  hairs  and  wools  of  the  Mammalia,  it  occurred  to  us  to  endeavor  to  discover 
whether  there  is  any  difference  between  the  hairs  of  lunatics  and  those  of  the  sane.  With 
this  object  in  view,  we  applied  to  Dr.  Kirkbride  of  the  Pennsylvania  Insane  Hospital,  who 
politely  sent  us  twenty  specimens  of  these  tegumentary  appendages,  cut  from  the  scalps 
of  as  many  unfortunate  beings,  both  male  and  female,  of  various  ages,  and  laboring  under 
different  kinds  of  insanity.  All  these  we  submitted  to  the  most  rigorous  examinations 
with  the  trichometer,  and  under  the  microscope,  but  could  elicit  nothing  material,  except 
that  we  thought  the  coloring  matter  was  rather  more  confused  than  usual.  We  next 
applied  to  the  same  gentleman  for  some  drawn  hairs,  and  he  sent  us  over  one  hundred, 
extracted  from  the  heads  of  different  persons,  all  old  cases  of  lunacy,  but  more  than  half  of 
them  were  without  button,  and  the  whole  were  unaccompanied  by  designations  of  the  age, 
sex,  the  kind  of  insanity,  or  term  of  suffering. 

Not  wishing  to  trespass  upon  the  kindness  of  the  same  gentleman  a  third  time,  we  applied 
to  a  friend,  through  whom  we  obtained  from  Dr.  Evans,  of  the  Frankford  Insane  Asylum, 
twenty-one  specimens,  all  carefully  drawn  and  marked  ;  these,  with  the  latter  parcel,  pre- 
sented by  Dr.  Kirkbride,  enabled  us  to  arrive  at  rather  more  satisfactory  results. 

An  Examination  of  21  Specimens  of  the  Hair  of  Lunatics,  presented  by  Dr.  Evans,  made 
in  August  and  September,  1849: 

30  *  See  Fig.  82  a,  82  b,  82  r,  82  rf. 


120  TRICI10LOU1A  MAMMALIUM  ; 

No.  1.  Marked,  "Female,  aged  45,  dementia  20  years." — This  lock  contains  ten  rather 
coarse  hairs,  of  which  six  are  colorless,  and  the  remainder  dark  brown ;  one  of  the  dark 
brown  has  its  natural  pointed  apex,  all  the  rest  terminate  abruptly ;  one  bifurcated ;  seven 
of  the  ten  are  devoid  of  button  ;  one  has  the  button  of  the  usual  shape,  and  two,  (one 
brown  and  the  other  colorless,)  have  the  button  dark  colored  and  distorted;  the  filaments 
are  inclined  to  curl. 

No.  2.  Marked,  "  Female,  aged  30,  dementia  14  years." — In  this  lock  there  are  seven 
hairs,  all  brown  colored  ;  two  of  them  withovit  button  ;  of  the  remaining  five,  two  have  the 
usual  button,  and  the  other  three  are  dark  colored,  opaque  and  distorted.  The  apices  are 
all  pointed  and  the  filaments  inclined  to  curl;  none  furcated. 

No.  3.  Marked  "Female,  aged  42,  imbecility  13  years." — This  lock  contains  nineteen 
fine,  brown,  straight  hairs;  seventeen  of  them  without  button;  of  the  remaining  two,  one 
has  the  button,  as  usual,  and  in  the  other  it  is  dark  colored  and  distorted.  Terminations, 
generally  abrupt;  a  few  pointed;  none  furcated. 

No.  4.  Marked  "Female,  aged  32  years,  dementia  10  years." — This  lock  contains  four 
dark  colored  hairs;  all  pointed,  but  with  no  button;  none  furcated. 

No.  5.  Marked  " Female,  aged  25,  dementia  5  years." — There  are  only  eight  hairs  in 
this  lock  of  dark  hair;  all  but  one  abruptly  terminated;  two  without  button ;  of  the  remain- 
ing six,  two  have  the  usual,  and  4  dark  colored  distorted  buttons. 

No.  6.  Marked  "  Female,  aged  27,  mania  paroxysmal." — There  are  in  this  lock  ten 
hairs;  all  brown,  and  very  fine,  but  without  button;  terminations,  abrupt;  none  furcated. 

No.  7.  Marked  "Female,  mania,  convalescent,  aged  66  years." — There  are,  in  this  lock, 
eight  colorless  hairs,  with  abrupt  terminations,  but  without  buttons;  none  furcated. 

No.  8.  Marked  "Male,  aged  32,  imbecile  fr cm  childhood." — There  are,  in  this  lock,  six- 
teen fine,  brown  colored  hairs  ;  six  of  them  without  button;  on  five  of  the  remainder  there 
are  the  usual  button,  and  on  five  the  buttons  are  distorted.  The  hair  is  flowing,  and  apices 
abrupt,  except  two,  which  are  pointed.  The  distorted  buttons  are  opaque,  and  dark  colored 
at  the  extremity  ;  none  furcated. 

No.  9.  Marked  "  Male,  aged  49,  dementia  29  years." — This  lock  has  twenty -seven  hairs, 
but  only  seven  of  them  have  a  button;  of  these,  three  are  in  the  common  form,  and  four 
are  dark  colored  and  distorted.  The  filaments  were,  originally,  light  brown  colored,  but 
are  now  mostly  colorless;  one  (colored)  hair  is  pointed;  the  rest  terminate  abruptly. 

No.  10.  Marked  "Male,  aged  40,  dementia  20  years." — This  lock  contains  twenty-five 
hairs,  of  which  eighteen  have  no  button  ;  of  the  remaining  seven,  four  are  of  the  ordinary 
shape,  and  three  are  distorted  and  dark  colored.  The  hairs  are  dark  brown  color,  and  fine  ; 
have  the  apices  abrupt,  except  in  a  single  instance,  and  in  that  the  point  is  colorless;  none 
furcated. 

No.  11.  Marked  "Male,  aged  38,  epileptic  from  puberty;  incurable." — This  specimen 
is  in  two  parcels;  parcel  "a"  has  thirty-seven  hairs,  of  which  thirty-three  have  no  button  ; 
of  the  remaining  four,  all  are  dark  colored  and  distorted;  parcel  "b"  has  thirteen  hairs, 
and  one  only  with  a  button,  which  is  of  the  ordinary  shape.  The  hair  is  dark  colored ; 
apices,  abrupt ;  none  furcated. 

No.  13.     Marked  "Mule,  aged  57,  epileptic  9  years." — There  are,  in  this  lock,  fourteen 


OH.  A  TREATISE  OX  Hl.K. 


hairs,  thirteen  of  which  have  no  button ;  the  fourteenth  is  dark  colored  and  distorted ; 
twelve  of  the  hairs  are  dark  brown,  and  two  colorless;  the  apices  are  all  abrupt;  none 
furcated. 

No  14.  Marked  "  Male,  aged  25,  dementia  2i  years.''1 — There  are,  in  this  parcel,  thirty 
hairs;  but  only  four  of  tliem  have  buttons;  and  they  are  all  dark  colored  and  distorted. 
The  lock  is  brown,  and  the  apices  abrupt  of  termination;  none  furcated. 

No.  15.  Marked  "Male,  aged  59,  dementia,  from  paralysis,  2  years." — There  are,  in 
this  lock,  fifteen  hairs,  only  four  of  which  have  a  button ;  they  are  all  dark  colored  and 
distorted.  The  hair  is  brown  and  fine  ;  the  terminations  abrupt;  none  furcated. 

No.  16.  Marked  "  Male,  mania  1  year  ;  incurable.''1 — There  are,  in  this  lock,  twenty 
hairs;  but  not  one  of  them  has  a  button;  none  furcated. 

No.  17.  Marked  "  Male,  aged  56,  hypochondria  10  months.'" — This  lock  has  twenty-four 
hairs,  all  but  six  colored;  but  two  have  buttons,  and  they  are  diminutive,  opaque  and  not 
very  regularly  formed  ;  apices,  abrupt;  none  furcated. 

No.  18.  Marked  "  Male,  aged  54,  acute  mania  1  month.''1 — There  are,  in  this  lock, 
eighteen  hairs,  and  but  three  of  them  with  buttons;  one  of  them  white  and  opaque,  and 
of  the  ordinary  shape;  hair,  brown  and  colorless;  apices,  abrupt. 

No.  1 9.  Marked  •'  Male,  aged  35,  mental  depression  ;  convalescent." — There  are  twenty- 
four  hairs  in  this  parcel,  only  two  of  which  have  a  button;  and  they  are  white,  opaque,  and 
in  the  ordinary  form.  The  hair  is  dark  colored;  the  apices  abrupt;  none  furcated. 

No.  20.  Marked  "  Male,  aged  24,  congential  imbecility  ;  incurable." — There  are  twenty- 
four  hairs  in  this  lock,  fifteen  of  which  have  dark  colored  and  distorted  buttons ;  and  two 
white,  ordinary  shaped  ones.  Color  of  hair,  brown ;  and  all  the  apices,  except  one,  abrupt. 

No.  21.  Marked  "  Male,  aged  65,  dementia;  incurable." — There  are,  in  this  parcel,  six- 
teen hairs,  all  but  three  of  which  are  colorless;  there  is  one  diminutive  button,  slightly 
distorted ;  none  furcated. 

RECAPITULATION  IN  TABULAR  FORM. 


Examination  of  the  spe- 
cimens. 

Number  of  Hairs. 

Number  of  Hairs  with 
Buttons. 

Number  of  regularly 
shaped  Buttons. 

Number  of   distorted 
Buttons. 

Number  of  discolored 
Buttons. 

1 

10 

3 

1 

2 

2 

2 

7 

5 

2 

3 

3 

3 

19 

2 

1 

1 

1 

4 

4 

0 

0 

0 

0     • 

a 

« 

0 

2 

4 

4 

0 

lit 

0 

0 

0 

0 

7 

8 

(i 

0 

0 

0 

8 

Hi 

10 

5 

5 

5 

9 

27 

I 

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51 

1 32  TK  U"1  HO  1,00 1 A  M  A  M  M  A  LI  U  M  ; 

Examination  of  the  second  parcel  of  hairs,  presented  by  Dr.  Kirkbride,  marked  "Drawn 
Hairs  of  Lunaties — mostly  old  cases." — There  are,  in  this  parcel,  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  hairs ;  of  these,  ninety -eight  have  no  button,  ten  have  the  ordinary  button,  and  fifty 
have  the  button  distorted  and  discolored. 

From  the  whole  of  these  examinations,  we  feel  satisfied  that  if  there  exists  any  difference 
between  the  hairs  of  the  sane  and  the  insane,  it  must  be  sought  for  in  the  button.  It  will 
be  recollected,  that  this  portion  of  a  perfect  hair  of  the  head  of  a  sane  white  person  is 
translucent,  and  of  a  regular  shape — generally  that  of  a  pestle.  (See  Figs.  16  and  17.) 

When  a  hair  is  drawn  out  of  the  head,  we  sometimes  have  the  stalk  only — the  button, 
sheath  and  follicle,  being  all  left  behind.  This  is  more  generally  the  case  when  the  dermis 
or  epidermis,  owing  to  disease  or  any  other  cause,  is  contracted;  and  this,  probably,  will 
account  for  the  large  proportion  of  hairs  of  the  insane,  which  came  under  examination, 
being  without  a  button.  Upon  three  hundrej  and  sixty-nine  hairs,  presented  by  Dr.  Evans, 
we  found  but  seventy-nine  buttons — and  this  occurred  after  a  careful  drawing;  and  upon 
one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  hairs,  obtained  from  Dr.  Kirkbride,  there  were  but  fifty  buttons. 
Upon  an  equal  number  of  hairs,  carefully  drawn  from  the  head  of  a  sane,  healthy  white 
person,  probably  there  would  have  been  three-fourths  with  a  button. 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  out  of  139  buttons  examined  by  us,  thirty-eight  had  the  ordi- 
nary, and  101  distorted  and  discolored  buttons.  The  distortions  have  no  general  character, 
some  of  them  are  flattened,  others  are  crooked,  curved  or  twisted  and  there  are  a  few  that 
are  hamate.  There  is  a  loss  of  the  translucency,  which  is  characteristic  of  the  button  of 
a  sound  hair.*  We  do  not,  nevertheless,  pretend  to  have  extended  our  examinations  to  the 
length  that  would  authorise  the  enunciation  of  a  theory;  but,  on  the  contrary,  make  the  result 
of  our  labors  known,  merely  to  attract  the  attention  of  medical  gentlemen,  and  particularly 
those  who  are  connected  with  insane  asylums,  to  the  subject.  Should  future  inquiries 
confirm  our  views,  it  will  appear  that  in  lunacy  the  skin  and  its  appendages  are  affected, 
and  these  distortions  and  discolorations  of  the  button  may  become  valuable  diagnostics. 
It  has  been  shown  that  the  button  and  follicle,  as  well  as  the  shaft  of  the  hair  are  continu- 
ally forming  from  cells,  to  supply  the  deficiency  caused  by  gradual  waste  from  hairs 
falling  out ;  and  this  explains  why  a  part  only  of  the  hairs  examined  were  distorted  and 
discolored,  while  the  remainder  were  in  the  ordinary  state. 

The  hairs  of  lunatics  were  the  first  diseased  ones  which  came  under  our  examination, 
and  it  is  possible  that  we  may  have  mistaken  for  the  signs  of  lunacy  what  were  the  marks  of 
disease  only.  If  this  shall  turn  out  to  be  the  case,  the  error  can  easily  be  corrected  by 
comparison  with  other  diseased  hairs. 

We  are  assured  by  Professor  Duni>lison,  (in  Hum.  Philos.,  p.  277,)  that,  "  Mania 
never  occurs  without  the  physical  condition  of  the  brain  undergoing  some  change,  directly 


*  Since  writing  the  foregoing,  we  have  examined  a  great  many  hairs  of  lunatics  from  the  Asylum   in  Staunton,  Western 
Virginia;,  and  from  two  lunatic  asylums  in  Ohio,  and  found  the  results  always  the  same. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  OX  PILE.  123 

or  indirectly,"  and  that,  also,  "the  cranium  is  often  affected,  seeming,  for  example,  to  be 
unusually  thick,  dense  and  heavy."  Then,  what  is  there  incredible  in  the  idea  that  it 
affects  the  skin  and  hair  of  the  head. 

All  that  we  have  to  say,  in  conclusion  is — do  not  decide  upon  the  merit  of  our  discovery 
until  you  have  examined  the  subject. 

"  Finis  coronat  opus." 

OF  THE  DECAY  AND  DEATH  OF  PILE. — It  has  been  decreed  by  the  Mighty  Power  which 
confers  vitality  upon  organism,  that  there  shall  always  be  a  limit  to  its  endurance ;  and 
hence  we  find  that  even  where  dissolution  is  not  hastened  by  violence  or  disease,  time 
never  fails  gradually  to  bring  life  to  a  close.  Whenever  the  connection  between  pile  and  its 
vessels  is  in  any  way  severed,  the  former  dies,  and  then,  like  all  effete  matter,  it  inclines 
to  separate  from  the  living  organism.  But  the  stalk  of  the  hair  may  die,  and  the  follicle 
survive;  in  which  case  the  hair  may  fall  out,  and  a  new  one  be  produced.  Whether  the 
follicle,  after  having  been  separated  from  its  vessels,  is  ever  resuscitated,  or  a  new  one  pro- 
duced, are  (to  say  the  least  of  them)  doubtful  questions,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been 
asserted  in  books  about  the  transplanting  of  hair. 

Hair  which  falls  out  of  itself  is  dry,  and  ordinarily  colorless,  even  when  it  has  been 
previously  colored.  Henle  seems  to  think  that  we  know  nothing  of  the  causes  which 
determine  hair.  But,  admitting  our  knowledge  upon  that  point  to  be  scanty,  still  we  may 
reason  upon  the  facts  in  relation  to  it,  which  experience  has  brought  to  light.  We  read 
of  a  boy  who  was  found  wild,  and  his  body  is  said  to  have  been  entirely  covered  with  hair, 
like  one  of  the  lower  animals;*  and  among  the  savage  race  of  Kurlians,  there  are  indi- 
viduals who  have  hair  growing  down  the  back  and  covering  nearly  the  whole  body .  From 

*  THE  WILD  WOMAN  OP  THE  NAVIDAD. — About  a  year  since  an  account  was  published  in  the  Victoria  Advocate  respecting 
a  strange  creature,  whose  tracks  had  been  discovered  on  the  banks  of  the  Navidad,  near  Texana.  The  footmarks  of  this 
creature  resembled  those  of  a  woman,  and  a  report  was  circulated  to  the  effect  that  a  wild  woman  had  made  her  retreat  in  the 
forests  of  the  Navidad.  Within  a  few  weeks  several  attempts  have  been  made  to  capture  this  singular  being.  Mr.  Glascock 
pursued  it  for  several  days  with  dogs,  and  at  one  time  approached  so  near  it  as  to  cast  a  lasso  upon  its  shoulders.  It,  how- 
ever, with  great  adroitness,  eluded  the  snare,  and  fled  to  a  dense  thicket  where  it  could  not  be  traced.  Mr.  Glascock  states 
that  he  was  near  a  small  prairie  enclosed  by  the  border  forests  of  the  river,  when  the  creature  emerged  from  the  woods 
and  ran  across  the  prairie  in  full  view.  It  was  about  five  feet  high,  resembling  a  human  being,  but  covered  with  hair  of 
reddish-brown  color.  In  its  hand  it  held  a  stick  about  six  feet  long,  which  it  flourished  from  side  to  side,  as  if  to  regulate  its 
motions,  and  aid  it  when  running  at  full  speed.  Its  head  and  neck  arc  covered  with  very  long  hair,  which  streamed  back- 
ward in  the  wind.  It  ran  with  the  speed  of  a  deer  and  was  soon  out  of  sight.  The  dogs  pursued  it,  and  came  so  close  upon 
it  at  a  small  creek,  that  it  was  compelled  to  drop  its  stick,  which  was  taken  by  its  pursuers.  This  stick  is  about  six  feet 
long,  straight  and  smooth  as  if  polished  with  glass.  Several  other  persons  have  repeatedly  seen  the  creature,  and  they  all 
concur  in  representing  it  as  a  human  being,  but  so  covered  with  shaggy  hair  as  to  resemble  an  ourang  outang.  It  has 
frequently  approached  the  houses  of  the  settlers  in  that  neighborhood  during  the  night  and  stole  various  articles  ;  among 
other  things  it  carried  off  a  quantity  of  towels,  one  or  two  books,  and  has  taken  several  pigs.  One  of  its  nests  was  found  in 
the  forest,  in  which  were  several  napkins,  folded  up  just  as  they  were  taken.  A  bill  for  washing  was  also  enclosed  in  tho 
Bible.  The  footmarks  of  this  strange  being  have  often  been  traced  in  the  bottom  of  the  Navidad,  but  it  has  eluded  all 
attempts  to  capture  it.  The  old  settlers  in  (hat  section  say  that  these  footmarks  have  been  noticed  for  ten  or  twelve  years, 
and  that  several  years  ago  there  were  other  footmarks,  indicating  that  three  o'f  these  creatures  were  in  company.  Within  the  last 
year  the  footmarks  of  only  one  have  been  noticed.  Mr.  Glascock  intends  to  collect  a  pack  of  good  hounds  and  resume  the 
pursuit,  and  he  is  confident  that  he  will  succeed  in  capturing  it. —  [From  flie  Houston  (Texas]  Telegraph.] 

31 


124  TlUf'IIOLOOTA   MAMMALH'M: 

these  facts,  and  others  of  a  like  nature,  we  may  conclude  that  hair  was  intended  to  protect 
us  from  violence  and  the  inclemencies  of  seasons.  By  its  division  into  filaments,  which, 
(especially  in  regard  to  those  of  the  head,)  spread  and  flow,  catching  every  breeze,  it 
exposes  the  largest  possible  extent  of  surface  to  the  actions  of  light,  of  the  atmosphere  and 
of  electricity,  which,  doubtless,  act  upon  its  fluids,  promoting  their  motions. 

OF  BALDNESS. — Savages,  who  never  wear  hats  or  caps,  retain  their  hair  ;*  but  civilized 
man  covers  his  head  and  becomes  bald.  It  is  painful  to  see  the  glowing  and  graceful  locks 
of  children  suffering  false  imprisonment  in  paper  curls,  put  into  the  stocks  of  unnatural 
plaits,  or  smothered  under  imperious  head-gear,  to  the  manifest  injury  of  its  growth  and 
destruction  of  its  beauty. 

Every  one  must  have  remarked  that  females  do  not  become  bald  as  often  as  males, 
which  may  be  accounted  for  by  their  wearing  less  dense  coverings  on  their  heads  than 
our  felted  hats. 

These  considerations  teach  us  what  are  the  general  causes  of  baldness;  nevertheless, 
there  are  others  which  may  conspire  to  the  same  effect.  •  It  has  already  been  shown  that 
the  hair  of  the  head  of  the  oval-haired  man,  has  an  inclination  of  obliquity  with  the  epi- 
dermis through  which  it  pierces;  and  any  forcible  change  of  this  direction  will  have  a  ten- 
dency to  loosen  the  hair  in  its  sheath,  or  in  its  sheath  and  in  the  follicle,  and  will  cause  it 
prematurely  to  fall  out.  The  disagreeable  feeling  which  we  experience  when  our  hair 
is  combed  "the  wrong  way"  as  it  is  generally  termed,  that  is,  contrary  to  its  natural  incli- 
nation, is  not  at  all  owing  to  any  feeling  in  the  shaft,  but  to  this  disturbance  of  the  sheath, 
or  sheath  and  follicle,  which  is  experienced  by  the  nerves,  and  this  disagreeable  feeling  is 
a  warning  that  we  are  warring  against  a  law  of  nature.  The  effect  of  this  practice  is 
most  injurious  when  the  operation  of  altering  the  inclination  is  done  with  a  stiff  brush  ; 
each  bristle,  at  its  extremity,  is  placed  against  the  lower  end  of  the  shaft  of  the  hair,  and 
when  the  brush  is  turned  outward  and  upwards,  acts  as  a  lever,  prying  out  the  filament, 
which  had  been  previously  loosened.  Dr.  Gross  says,  that  baldness  generally  commences 
at  the  crown  of  the  head,f  and  this  is  the  place  which  is  generally  most  brushed. 

Another  fruitful  source  of  baldness  is  the  too  free  use,  in  anointing  the  head,  of  aqueous 
or  alcoholic  essences,  which  remove  the  natural  grease  designed  to  preserve  the  hair.  To 
which  we  might  add  that  some  persons,  when  colorless  hairs  make  their  first  appearance 
in  their  heads,  pluck  them  out. 

Julia,  the  daughter  of  Augustus,  celebrated  fur  the  unbridled  license  of  her  manners, 
was  early  visited  with  grey  hairs,  which  she  pulled  out  in  secret.  One  day  she  was  sur- 
prised by  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  Emperor,  who  saw  several  of  the  drawn  hairs 
upon  her  robe.  Augustus,  dissimulating  at  first,  led  the  conversation  to  age,  and  inquired 
of  his  daughter  which  she  would  prefer,  baldness,  or  grey  hair.  "  The  latter,''  she  promptly 
answered.  "Why,  then,"  asked  the  Emperor,  "do  you  allow  your  women  to  make 
yon  bald  r 


*  The  old  savages  of  Vanikoro  Island  (Australia)  become  bald  !     (Latham,  Nat.  Hist.  ofVar.,  &-c.,  223.) 
f  Elem.  of  Path,  and  Anat,,  328. 


Oil,  A  T11KAT1SE  OM  1'ILH. 

OF  PILK  GROWING  AFTER  DEATH. — Among  the  elder  writers  upon  this  subject,  we  rind 
several  accounts,  apparently  well  authenticated,  of  hair  growing  after  death  ;  but  Bostock 
does  not  consider  them  worthy  of  credit.  (See  Syst.  of  Physi ,  p.  53.)  Bichat,  however, 
assures  us  of  one  case,  which  came  under  his  immediate  notice,  and  his  word  is  not  to  be 
doubted.  It  was  the  beard  of  a  chin  of  a  subject  preparing  for  anatomical  examination, 
it  had  been  closely  shaven,  and  after  maceration  for  about  eight  days,  in  a  cellar  of  the 
dissecting-room,  the  beard  was  discovered  to  be  grown,  (how  long  we  are  not  lold.) 

We  have,  in  our  collection  of  specimens  of  pile,  a  lock  of  fine,  dark  brown  ha.ir  from  the 
head  of  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Ayres,  who  died  in  Mexico  during  the  late  war.  The  body 
was  buried  in  that  country,  but  being  disinhumed,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  months,  it  was 
found  that  the  hair  had  grown  upon  his  head,  which,  during  his  illness,  had  been  shaved 
in  order  to  apply  blisters. 

We  have  also  a  lock  of  the  head  of  John  Dennis  Garwood,  an  infant  son  of  Mr.  John 
Garwood,  of  this  city.  This  little  innocent  died  and  was  buried,  and  disinterred  after  a 
lapse  of  twenty-one  years ;  when  alive,  it  had  a  remarkable  long  lock  of  hair,  which  pro- 
jected from  a  peculiar  spot  on  its  head;  this,  when  the  child  died,  was  cut  off  and  pre- 
served by  the  mother,  and,  when  the  coffin  was  opened,  after  having  lain  for  this  long 
period  in  the  earth,  this  lock  had  been  renewed,  and  had  sprouted  beyond  the  rest  of  the 
hair. 

Examination  and  Description  of  the  Hair  of  John  Dennis  Garwood,  which  grew  after 
Death. — Length,  4  inches  ;  shape,  oval ;  greatest  diameter  varying  from  ¥^T  to  T1^-j-of  an 
inch;  color,  brown,  no  lustre;  direction,  flowing,  slightly  curling;  inclination,  unknown. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  220  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     270     li  "          -fa  "  minus  -fa 

"     320     "  "  ¥V  "  "       A 

»     370     "  "  «  Jv  .<       ^ 

"        42°        "  i£  9% 

"     470     "     broke. 

Button,  very  rare  and  thin,  diminutive  ;  sheath,  none;  follicle,  none;  shaft,  very  unequal 
in  diameter,  of  different  filaments ;  upon  rubbing  between  two  pieces  of  glass  the  scales 
disengage,  the  cortex  separates  from  the  fibres  which  are  white  ;  no  central  canal  percep- 
tible;  coloring  matter  in  lines  in  the  cortex;  apex,  pointed,  none  furcated;  among  the 
fibres  was  discovered  one  that  was  blue. 

Remark. — This  is  an  imperfect  hair. 

We  have  heard  it  asserted  that  sheep's  wool,  left  in  its  grease,  (that  is  its  yolk',  or 
natural  soap,)  after  having  been  separated  from  the  body,  will  increase  in  weight;  but  we 
regard  this  as  a  popular  error.  In  an  Essay  upon  Sheep,*  it  is  said  that  it  may  increase 
iu  weight  for  a  few  days,  especially  if  kept  in  a  damp  place,  but  after  that  it  rapidly 

*  Library  of  Useful  Knowledge,  p.  74. 


TKICHOLOGIA  MA.MMAL1OI  : 


becomes  lighter,  ending  in  considerable  loss.     When  wool  has  been  long  kept  a  dust  may 
be  shaken  from  it.     This  is  probably  the  decomposed  yolk. 

Kraft,*  (in  Nov.  Com.  Petrop.,  v.  2,  p.  24,)  says  that  hairs  lengthen  after  they  are 
detached  from  the  body.  We  know  nothing  of  this  phenomenon.  (See  Meckel,  Man. 
of  Anat,,  v.  1,  p.  320.) 


*  Having  understood  that  Dr.  Coates  had  seen  some  hair  grown  after  death,  we  wrote  to  him  upon  the  subject,  and 
subjoin  his  answer: 

PHILADELPHIA,  November  13th,  1851. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  your  polite  favor  respecting  instances  of  hair  growing  on  anatomical  preparations  while  pre- 
served in  spirits.  I  can  hardly  believe  that  this  phenomenon  is  very  rare.  The  specimen  to  which  I  referred  Dr.  Chaloner, 
was  a  tumour  removed  by  Dr.  Physick,  at  an  early  period  of  his  practice,  from  behind  and  below  the  angle  of  the  jaw  of  a 
man,  with  ultimate  success.  Part  of  the  patient's  whiskers  had  grown  from  the  portion  of  the  skin  which  was  removed. 
The  case  is  in  the  Hospital  Case  Book,  with  a  drawing ;  and,  I  think,  was  published  in  the  journals  of  the  day.  In  such 
cases,  hair  was  uniformly  shaved  off  before  making  the  incisions;  and  I  remember,  in  addition,  hearing  my  father  say  that 
he  saw  this  operation,  and  that  it  was  done  so  in  this  instance.  The  hair,  in  the  glass  jar  of  spirits,  when  I  saw  it,  appears 
to  iny  recollection,  above  1 J  inches  long,  probably  nearer  2  inches ;  all  which  had  grown  in  the  spirits. 

I  believe  that  the  specimen  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  the  University.  Dr.  Leidy*  has  the  control  of  that  institution,  and 
will,  I  am  sure,  be  glad  to  show  it  to  you.  I  should  suppose  that  the  hair  ought  now  to  be  much  longer. 

I  am,  very  respectfully  and  sincerely  yours,  &c.,  &e., 

To  P.  A.  BROW  .NE,  Esq.  B.  II.  COATES. 

*  Dr.  Leidy  wus  unable  to  find  this  speciiuem. 


Olt,  A  TREATISE  ON  1'ILK. 


CHAPTER     V  1 1  . 

HAIR  THAT  HAS  BKEN  SEPARATED  FROM  THE  BODY  OF  THE  ANIMAL  NEVER  ACQUIRES  A 

DISTINCT  LIFE. — It  has  been  supposed  that  a  hair,  laid  ibr  .some  time  in  a  stream  or  pool 
of  water,  is  transformed  into  a  rvm  m ;  but  this  is  a  popular  error.  It  will  appear  to  be 
animated;  but  that  is  owing  to  animalcules  with  which  it  becomes  invested.  There  is  an 
annelida  called  "the  hair-worm,"  (Gordius  Aquaticus,)  which  is  found  in  stagnant  pools, 
and  this  name  has  probably  aided  in  propagating  this  error.  Such  a  transmigration  as  a 
luiir  of  a  mammalia  into  a  worm,  which  belongs  to  another  class  of  animals,  is  unnatural, 
and  should  not  obtain  credence  except  upon  positive  testimony.* 

OF  THE  ELECTRICITY  OF  PILE. —  Pile,  when  dry,  is  electric,  and  by  rubbing  it,  sparks 
and  even  detonations  may  be  produced. 

L'Heritier  says,  that  many  sick  persons  have  died  from  cutting  or  shaving  the  hair  of 
the  head,  and  he  attributes  it  to  the  disturbance  of  the  currents  of  electricity.  (Traite  de 
Chem.  Path.,  p.  616.) 


*  In  tin.-  Lifp  and  Correspondence  of  Robert  Southey,  p.  206,  is  a  letter  from  him  to  Dr.  Soutliej,  dated  "Keswick,  Juno 
6th,  1813,"  in  which  lie  says : — 

"My  DEAR  HARRY  : — Do  you  want  to  make  your  fortune  in  the  philosophical  world?  If  so,  you  may  thank  Owen  Lloyd 
for  the  happiest  opportunity  that  was  ever  put  into  an  aspirant's  hands.  You  must  have  heard  the  vulgar  notion  that  a 
horse  hair,  plucked  out  bv  the  root  and  put  into  water,  becomes  alive  in  a  few  days.  The  boys  at  Brathay  repeatedly  told 
their  mother  it  was  true — that  they  had  tried  it  themselves,  and  seen  it  tried.  Her  reply  was,  '  Show  it  me,  and  I  will 
believe  it.'  While  we  wore  there,  last  week,  in  came  Owen  with  two  of  these  creatures  in  a  bottle.  Wordsworth  was  there; 
and  to  our  utter  and  unutterable  astonishment  did  the  boys,  to  convince  us  that  these  long,  thin  black  worms,  were  of  their 
own  manufactory  by  the  old  receipt,  lay  hold  of  them  by  the  middle,  while  they  writhed  like  eels,  and  stripping  them  with 
their  nails  down  each  side,  actually  lay  bare  the  horse  hair  in  the  middle,  which  seemed  to  serve  as  the  bm-k-boncof  the  crea- 
ture, or  the  substratum  of  the  living  matter  which  had  collected  around  it. 

"Wordsworth  and  I  should  both  have  supposed  that  it  was  a  collection  of  animalcuhc  round  the  hair,  (which,  however, 
would  only  be  changing  the  nature  of  the  wonder,)  if  we  could,  in  any  way,  have  accounted  for  the  motion  upon  this  theory; 
but  the  motion  was  that  of  a  snake.  We  could  perceive  no  head  ;  but  something  very  like  the  root  of  the  hair ;  and,  for 
want  of  glasses,  could  distinguish  no  parts.  The  creature,  or  whatever  else  you  may  please  to  call  it,  is  black  or  dark  brown, 
and  about  the  girth  of  a  fiddle-string. 

"  As  soon  as  you  have  read  this,  draw  upon  your  horse's  mane  and  tail  for  half  a  dozen  hairs  ;  be  sure  that  they  have  roots 
to  them  ;  bottle  them  separately  in  water,  and  when  they  are  alive  and  kicking,  call  in  Gooch,  and  make  the  fact  known  to 
the  philosophical  world.*  Never  in  my  life  was  I  so  astonished  as  at  seeing,  what  even  in  the  act  of  seeing  I  could  scarcely 
believe,  and  now  almost  doubt.  If  you  verify  the  experiment,  as  Owen  and  all  his  brethren  will  swear  must  be  the  case, 
you  will  be  able  to  throw  some  light  upon  the  origin  of  your  friend  the  tape-worm,  and  his  diabolical  family. 

"No  doubt  you  will  laugh  and  disbelive  this,  and  half  suspect  that  I  am  jesting.  But,  indeed,  I  have  only  told  you  the 
fact  as  it  occurred;  and  you  will  at  once  see  its  whole  importance  in  philosophy,  and  the  use  which  you  and  Gooch  may 
derive  from  it,  coming  forth  with  a  series  of  experiments,  and  with  such  deductions  as  your  grey-hound  sight  and  beagle 
scent  will  soon  start  and  pursue. 

"And,  if  the  horse's  hair  succeeds,  Sir  Domine,  by  parallel  reasoning,  you  know,  try  one  of  your  own.  R.  S." 

*  We  presume  that  the  horse's  hair  did  not  succeed,  for  we  hear  no  more  of  the  mnM<T 


1-28  TKU'UOLUUIA  MA.MMALIl.M  ; 

Goldsmith  is  of  opinion,  that  the  reason  why  the  hair  of  the  cat  kind  of  animals  [Felis] 
is  more  electric,  is  because.it  is  sleek  and  ylossy.*  (Nat.  Hist  of  Man.,  &c.,  v.  c),  p  7.) 

If  you  rub  the  back  of  a  person,  standing  upon  a  stool  with  glass  feet,  with  the  skin  of 
au  animal  tanned  with  the  fur  on,  for  a  few  minutes,  he  may  light  a  gas-burner  with  his 
linger. 

PILE  AS  A  CONDUCTOR  OR  NON-CONDUCTOR  OF  CALoiw. — Pile  is  a  non-conductor  of  caloric. 
According  to  the  experiments  of  Count  Rumford,  it  depends  upon  the  degree  of  looseness 
or  tightness  with  which  the  hairy  or  woolly  filaments  are  compacted;  hence,  it  would  seem 
that  those  wools  which  are  capable  of  being  felted  or  fulled  into  the  least  space,  will  be 
the  most  effectual  in  retaining  the  animal  heat.  But  a  late  learned  writer  upon  this  subject 
considers  the  atmosphere,  which  is  confined  within  the  interstices,  equally  as  good  a  non- 
conductor as  the  pile. 

OF  THE  EFFECT  OF  CLIMATE  AND  SEASONS  UPON  PILE. — Nature,  like  a  kind  mother, 
adapts  the  clothing  of  wild  animals  to  the  climates  and  to  seasons  to  which  they  originally 
belong.  In  Guinea,  dogs  aud  sheep  are  almost  naked,  while  the  Siberian  Dog  and  Ice- 
land Sheep  are  provide:!  with  warm  clothing.  Swine,  in  high  latitudes,  have  bristles  only, 
or  bristles  and  hair  of  a  similar  texture;  but  the  same  species  of  animal,  in  colder  regions, 
has  added  to  their  coats  a  vest  of  fine  frizzled  wool.  The  present  race  of  elephants, 
inhabiting  warm  latitudes,  has  scarcely  any  hair,  and  no  wool — a  few  hairs  on  the  lower 
jaw,  the  ear  and  tail,  heing  all  of  which  they  can  boast;  whereas,  the  Mammoth,  found 
envelope  I  in  ice  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Lena,  in  Russia,  had  long  hairs  and  warm  wool. 
In  like  manner  (as  it  is  said)  some  animals  taken  from  one  climate  to  another,  exchange 
their  coats  for  one  more  suited  to  their  change  of  situation.  In  regard  to  Sheep,  we  feel 
ourselves  warranted  in  announcing  the  following  rules,  viz:  1st,  that  a  pure  woolly  Sheep 
cannot  become  a  hairy  Sheep  by  change  of  climate,  nor  can  a  pure  hairy  Sheep  become  a 
woolly  one  by  such  change ;  2d,  a  hybrid  (which  is  already  partly  hairy  and  partly  woolly) 
rnay  partially  change  its  coat  by  the  one  kind  of  integument  falling  out  and  being  replaced 
by  the  other  kind  ;  3d,  a  filament  of  hair  cannot  be  changed  into  a  strand  of  wool,  nor  a 
strand  of  wool  be  transformed  into  a  filament  of  hair,  by  any  change  of  climate. 

The  variation  of  seasons  affects  the  natural  clothing  of  wild  as  well  as  the  domesticated 
animals  The  trapper,  suffering  from  the  extreme  cold  of  an  uncommonly  severe  winter, 
consoles  himself  with  the  reflection  that  his  stock  of  furs  will  be  valuable  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. And  the  experienced  furrier,  from  the  examination  of  his  pelts,  is  able  to  judge 
of  the  severity  of  the  weather  during  which  they  were  produced. 

Leuwenhoeck  tells  of  a  man  whose  hair  changed  with  the  seasons,  like  one  of  the  lower 
animals,!  but  we  have  never  witnessed  any  such  phenomenon. 

OF  THE  EFFECTS  OF  THE  SKIN  UPON  PILE. — Mr.  Livingston  (in  his  Essay  upon  Sheep) 

*  Is  it  more  electric  than  other  unimals  with  hair  and  wool? 
t  Collect.  Mules.,  Ac,,  &v.,  1681. 


OH.  A  TUKATISK  UN    1'ILK.  ]OQ 

ventures  the  opinion,  that  pile  is  affected  by  the  tissue  of  the  skin  through  which  it  passes. 
"In  warm  climates  (he  says)  the  hair  of  man  is  generally  black  and  coarse;  in  cold  ones 
we  find  flaxen,  yellow,  and  various  shades  of  brown.  And  even  when  the  hair  takes  a 
deeper  shade,  (he  says,)  that  it  is  finer  than  the  lank,  black  hair  of  the  South."  He 
inquires,  "may  not  this  be  owing,  in  some  sort,  to  the  skin  being  more  braced  in  the  one 
and  more  lax  in  the  other •?"  In  applying  the  same  rule  to  wool,  he  opines  that  "  its  fine- 
ness may  be  affected  by  the  state  of  the  thermometer  when  the  young  wool  obtrudes  through 
the  skin."  "If  it  is  compressed  (he  says)  it  will  be  fine — it  it  finds  an  easy  passage,  it  will 
be  coarse."  (See  p.  124.)* 

To  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  examining  the  different  parts  of  pile,  under  tho  micro- 
scope, this  notion  of  Mr.  Livingston's  will  appear  to  be  fanciful ;  and  it  would  not  have 
been  noticed,  but  for  the  great  respectability  of  the  author,  and  the  importance  of  under- 
standing correctly  every  thing  which  relates  to  wool. 

The  shaft  of  a  mature  hair,  frpm  its  posterior  extremity  to  the  point  where  it  penetrates 
the  epidermis,  is  enclosed  in  a  sheath,  which  (according  to  Henle)  is  composed  of  an 
internal  and  external  layer;  which  (sheath)  effectually  protects  the  >haft  of  the  hair  from 
any  such  pressure  as  is  supposed  on  behalf  of  the  dermis;f  and,  as  to  ths  epidermis,  it  is 
too  thin  and  porous  to  afford  any  such  obstructing  and  condensing  power. 

It  is  true  that  Mr  Livingston,  in  a  subsequent  page  of  his  essay,  admits  that  "men  of 
high  latitudes  have  hair  similar  to  that  of  those  near  the  line" — an  admission  which 
(in  our  opinion)  is  destructive  to  his  theory ;  but  he  endeavors  to  explain  this  contradiction 
by  saying,  "that  the  smoky  huts,  slender  diet,  and  habit  of  greasing  the  hair,  in  high 
latitudes,  have  precisely  the  same  effect  in  relaxing  the  skin  as  the  continual  exposure  to 
the  rays  of  a  tropical  sun/'  A  non  sequitur,  which  will  be  apparent  to  the  learned 
reader. 

But  there  is  another  and  a  conclusive  answer  to  this  theory  of  Mr.  Livingston's,  •.!/.: 
that  a  filament  of  hair  or  wool  grown  partly  in  a  warm  and  partly  in  a  cold  season,  ought 
to  vary  in  its  diameter,  according  to  his  reasoning;  whereas,  in  Gill's  Technical  Reposi- 
tory for  1^28,  v.  2,  p.  72,  will  be  found  a  letter  from  Mr.  Charles  C.  Western,  accom- 
panying specimens  of  wool  of  his  own  raising,  one  of  them  of  the  growth  of  nearly  three- 
years,  upon  which  that  gentleman  remarks,  that  "there  is  no  possibility  of  discovering  the 
difference  in  the  annual  growths.'''  And  we  have,  in  our  collection  of  specimens  of  wool, 
one  eighteen  inches  long,  taken  from  a  Merino  ram,  being  his  first  shearing  in  three  years' 
growth,  and  not  the  slightest  indication  of  there  having  a  pressure  and  relaxation  of  the 
skin  can  be  detected. 

OF  THE  SPECIFIC  GRAVITY  OF  PILE. — In  the  Philosophy  of  Manufactures,  p.  97,  Doctor 


*  Mr.  Youatt  advances  a  similar  opinion  in  regard  to  wool.  (See  Lib.  of  Use.  Knowl.,  67  ;  also,  Andersen  on  Wool,  124.) 
Col.  Randall,  while  he  admits  the  fact  of  wool  being  f:r.cr  in  cold  climates,  (?)  denies  these  infennces.  "  I  r.m  lather  dis- 
posed (says  this  gentleman)  to  look  for  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon  in  the  amount  and  quality  of  the  wifi-iuifiil  received. 
by  the  animal."  (See  Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  South,  p.  23.) 

t  Besides,  there  is  found  a  liquid  grease  between  the  exterior  coat  of  the  sheath  and  the  interior  of  the  follicl  •. 


130  TRICIIOLOG1A  MAM.MALHM: 

Ure  gives  the  specific  gravities  of  cotton,  1.47  to  1.50;  of  linen,  1.50;  of  silk,  1.30; 
mummy  cloth,  1.50;  wool,  1.26.  The  Doctor  found  some  difficulty  in  taking  the  specific 
gravity  of  wool,  owing  to  its  greasy  nature,  which  prevented  it  from  sinking  in  water.* 

Our  phial,  for  taking  the  specific  gravities,  when  empty  weighs  373  grains;  when  filled 
with  distilled  water,  at  60°  F.,  up  to  two  marks  made  upon  its  neck,  (one  to  note  the  upper, 
and  the  other  to  note  the  lower  surface  of  the  concavity  formed  by  capillary  attraction,) 
it  holds  1,000  grains.  We  have  a  thermometer  tube  (with  no  mounting)  small  enough  to 
enter  the  phial.  Upon  this  tube  is  marked,  with  a  diamond,  the  single  point  of  60°  F.; 
when  we  are  about  to  perform  the  experiment  upon  wool,  we  weigh  the  quantity  required, 
and  boil  it  m  a  weak  solution  of  soda,  to  extract  the  grease  of  the  exterior.  After  having 
dried  it  again,  and  re-weighed  it,  (in  order  to  ascertain  the  loss  sustained,)  we  proceed  in 
the  way  directed  by  Dr.  Ure. 

Dr.  John  Davy  (in  Researches  Phys.  and  Anat,  p.  138.  1840,)  gives  the  following 
specific  gravities  of  hair  :  1.280,  1,393,  1,278,  1,290,  1,275,  1,345,  1,328,  and  1,300. 

OF  THE  INCINERATION  OF  PILE. — In  Graham's  Elem.  of  Chem.,  702,  it  is  stated  that 
hair  of  the  beard  left  0.72  per  cent,  of  ashes.  Blonde  colored  hair  of  the  head,  0.3  per 
cent.;  black  hair  of  a  Mexican,  2  per  cent. 

Achard  found  from  the  combustion  of  one  pound  of  hair,  the  following  cinders,  viz  :— 
Hair  of  the  head  of  Man,     -     I  drachm  20  grains. 
Pile  of  a  Goat,  -  1  30^     " 

"    Hog,  1  55 

"         "    Calf,  -     -     2  40 

*  "To  ascertain  with  precision  the  specific  gravity  of  textile  fibres  (he  says)  is  a  more  troublesome  experiment  than  would 
at  first  sight  appear,  and  the  point  has,  for  this  reason  probably,  been  left  hitherto  undetermined.  Having  bestowed  some 
pains  upon  the  subject,  and  having  contrived  a  simple  method  susceptible  of  giving  exact  results,  I  shall  here  state  it  in 
detail.  I  take  a  taper-necked  phial,  capable  of  holding  nearly  2,000  grains  of  distilled  water — poise  it  when  so  filled,  mark 
the  line  of  the  neck  where  the  water  stands,  and  then  pour  out  exactly  200  grains  of  the  water.  I  next  weigh  out  SOU  grains 
of  the  textile  substance,  lay  them  on  a  clean  tray,  and  proceed  slowly  to  introduce  them  into  the  phial,  in  small  quantities  at 
a  time,  pressing  each  portion  down  with  a  wire,  so  as  thoroughly  to  wet  it  and  to  extrude  every  particle  of  the  entangled  air. 
Whenever  so  much  fibrous  matter  has  been  introduced  as  to  raise  the  water-line  to  its  primitive  mark  in  the  neck,  there  bus 
obviously  been  added  a  volume  of  the  matter  equal  to  that  of  200  grains  of  water;  and  the  additional  weight  communicated 
to  the  phial  being  divided  by  two,  will  therefore  be  the  quotient,  expressing  the  specific  gravity  of  the  substance  compared 
to  the  water  reckoned,  100.  From  the  spongy  nature  of  cotton,  wool,  flax  and  silk,  much  water  is  absorbed  into  their  pores, 
and  this  is  provided  for  in  the  1,800  grains,  or  thereabouts,  which  are  purposely  left  in  the  phial  at  the  beginning  of  the 
experiment.  If  the  raw  filaments  of  cotton,  wool,  flax  or  silk,  are  made  the  subject  of  this  experiment,  they  are  apt  to  retain 
so  many  minute  particles  of  air  as  to  cause  fallacious  results.  Thus,  after  the  labor  of  several  hours  in  filling  the  vacant 
space  of  the  phial  with  woollen  fibres,  and  in  churning  them,  so  to  speak,  under  water,  to  expel  the  air  adhering  to  them,  I 
have  found  it  impossible  to  introduce  200  grains  of  wool ;  and  I  might  thence  have  concluded,  that  206  grains  of  wool  occupy 
a  greater  space  than  IIUO  grains  of  water.  But  if  we  take  shreds  of  flannel,  freed  from  grease  by  washing,  which  are  readily 
moit-tened,  we  then  find  that  £52  grains  of  it  may  bo  introduced  into  the  space  (if  200  grains  of  water;  and  we  are  entitled 
to  affirm,  that  the  true  specific  gravity  of  wool  is  1.26  compared  to  water  100 — or  1,260  by  the  ordinary  notation.  By  a 
similar  procedure,  I  have  found  the  specific  gravity  of  cotton  to  be  from  1.47  to  1.50  ;  of  linen,  1.50;  of  silk,  1.30 ;  of  mummy 
cloth,  1.50.  It  was  stated  that  a  definite  weight  (300  grains)  of  each  substance  was  weighed  out  at  the  commencement  of 
each  experiment — a  precaution  taken  for  the  purpose  of  verifying  the  result — since  that  weight,  minus  the  weight  of  the 
residuary  portion,  ought  to  be  equal  to  the  increase  of  weight  in  ihe  phial.  If  these  two  quantities  ditto  red,  the  experiment 
was  considered  to  be  inexact,  and  to  require  repetition."  (Philos.  of  Manuf.,  p.  97.) 


OR,  A  TREATISE  OX  JMLK.  |:\l 

Pile  of  a  Dog,    -----     2  drachms  56  grains. 
Mane  of  a  Horse,  -  -     -     3  12 

Wool  of  a  Sheep,   -  -     1  32 

(See  Diet,  de  Chem.  of  Klaproth,  1810,  p.       .) 

Modus  Operandi. — A  platina  crucible,  being  carefully  weighed,  and  the  weight  noted, 
place  therein  a  given  weight  of  pile;  submit  the  crucible  and  its  contents  to  heat  until 
incineration  of  the  pile  takes  place.  Weigh  the  crucible  with  the  residue,  from  which 
deduct  the  weight  of  the  empty  crucible,  and  the  quotient  is  the  weight  of  the  cinders. 

But  pile  requires  an  intense  heat  for  complete  incineration.  We  burnt  one  grain  of 
hair  of  the  head  of  an  American  Indian  by  the  heat  of  a  spirit  lamp,  in  a  platina  crucible, 
and  the  residue  wTas  0.750  grains.  But  Prof.  Boyer  subjected  this  residue  .to  complete 
incineration,  leaving  only  0.0077  grains. 

OF  FOSSILIZED  PILE. — Hair  never  becomes  fossilized  in  the  proper  sense  of  that  term. 
Neither  the  pile  found  in  the  envelopes  of  mummies,  nor  tint  found  on  the  Mammoth 
discovered  near  the  bank  of  the  river  Lena,  enveloped  in  ice,  were  fossilized. 

OF  THE  HYGROSCOPIC  PROPERTY  OF  PILE. — Pile,  like  some  other  animal  membranes, 
absorbs  moisture  from  the  atmosphere,  causing  it  to  elongate,  and  to  contract  again  by 
evaporation;  this  is  called  its  hygroscopic  property.* 

Taking  advantage  of  this  property,  an  instrument  has  been  invented  which  is  called  a 
hygroscope,f  to  show  the  different  degrees  of  moisture  in  the  air.  But  from  a  great 
variety  of  experiments  that  we  have  made,  we  have  ascertained  that  pile  frequently 
extended,  even  though  in  a  small  degree,  gradually  loses  a  portion  of  its  elasticity  ;  where- 
fore it  appears  that  it  is  not  to  be  relied  upon  for  the  construction  of  hygroscopes.J 

When  Capt.  Bligh  made  his  perilous  voyage,  in  an  open  boat,  over  three  thousand  miles 
of  the  ocean,  he  and  his  companions  used  to  dip  their  clothes  in  the  sea  and  wear  them 
damp,  to  allay  the  desire  for  drink.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  moisture  was 
absorbed  through  the  pores  of  the  skin.  We  would  rather  ascribe  the  quenching  of  the 
thirst  to  the  inhalation  of  the  aqueous  vapor,  caused  by  the  heat  of  the  body,  but  think  it 
possible  that  a  very  small  portion  may  be  absorbed  by  the  hair. 

OF  THE  ANALYSIS  OF  PILE. — Henle  remarks,  that  we  are  still. in  want  of  an  analysis  of 
hair,  in  which  regard  shall  be  paid  to  the  three  substances  which  compose  the  stalk. 
That,  according  to  those  we  possess,  hair  is  a  combination  of  fat  and  horny  substance  ; 
the  first  belonging  to  the  centre,  and  the  last  to  the  cortex  and  intermediate  fibrous  sub- 
stance.^ 


h 

*  From  ugros,  moist. 

h 

t  It  is  also  called  a  hygrometer,  from  ugros,  moist,  and  metreo,  to  measure. 

J  Since  writing  the  above,  we  have  observed  in  Daniel's  Introduction  to  Chemical  Philosophy,  a  drawing  and  description 
of  Sansom's  hygrometer,  used  in  the  Paris  Observatory,  and  it  is  remarked  that  it  cannot  be  depended  on. 
j!  Ilenle  is  here  speaking  of  a  perfect  hair,  which  has  these  three  distinct  portions. 
33 


132  TRICHOLOniA  MAMMALIUM; 

The  fat  (says  this  author)  may  be  extracied  by  boiling  the  hair  in  alcohol;  and  is,  ordi- 
narily, acid,  (the  margaric  and  oleic.)  It  has  a  blood-red  tinge  in  red  hair;  greyish-grey 
in  brown  hair,  and  (according  to  Jahn's,  in  Der  Haarartz,  ti.  p.  49,)  white  hair*  has  a 
limpid  oil. 

After  the  extraction  of  the  fat,  brown  hair  becomes  greyish-yellow,  and  then  behaves 
like  horn. 

Hair  is  insoluble  in  water,  whether  cold  or  hot;  but  in  Papin's  Digester  is  dissolved 
(all  except  the  fat)  with  a  disengagement  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  The  residue  of  the 
liquid,  after  evaporation,  is  viscous,  and  capable  of  being  re-dissolved  in  water,  when  it 
does  not  become  a  jelly.  From  its  watery  solution  a  precipitate  may  be  thrown  down  by 
concentrated  acids — by  chlorine — by  the  sub-acetate  of  lead,  and  by  tannic  acid. 

When  hair  is  dissolved  in  concentrated  acids  (particularly  by  the  nitric)  the  colored  oils 
separate,  coagulate  by  cold,  and  become  limpid 

Chlorine  whitens  hair  and  produces,  by  its  combination  with  it,  a  viscous  transparent 
mass,  which  has  a  bitter  taste,  and  dissolves  in  water  and  alcohol.  Caustic  potash, 
diluted,  dissolves  hair  entirely. 

Hair  may  be  dyed,  melted  and  distilled. — Hair  may  be  colored  by  the  metallic  salts — both 
nitrate  and  sulphate;  nitrate  of  silver  blackens  it  When  heated,  hair  melts,  exhaling  an 
odor  of  horn.  It  burns  with  a  sooty  flame,  leaving  a  bloated  coal. 

Upon  dry  distillation,  hair  gives  off  one-fourth  of  its  weight  of  a  carbon  diffic/ult  to 
incinerate,  the  products  being  empyreumatic  oil,  water  charged  with  ammonia,  and  com- 
bustible gases  which  contain  sulphuretted  hydrogen. 

Van  Laer  is  of  opinion,  that  hair  consists,  essentially,  of  a  substance  nearly  allied  to 
gelatine  and  bisulphuret  of  proteine.f  This  substance  has  the  formula  of  carbon,  13; 
hydrogen,  10;  nitrogen,  3;  oxygen,  5,  and  gluttin  (which  is  the  form  of  gelatine  which  is 
obtained  from  the  skin,  from  serous  membrane,  from  hoof,  from  bone,  from  tendon,  and 
from  cartilage,)  having  the  formula  of  carbon,  13;  hydrogen,  10;  nitrogen,  2,  and 
oxygen,  5. 

There  have  also  been  found  in  hair  silica,  iron  and  manganese. 

The  elements  of  Pile  in  the  blood  and  in  the  milk, — That  the  blood  contains  all  the 
elements  of  hair,  is  found  by  its  being  produced  on  the  foetus;  and  that  the  mother's  milk 
is  equal,  in  this  respect,  is  demonstrated  by  the  growth  of  the  hair  while  a  child  is  receiv- 
ing no  other  nourishment. 

The  ancient  practice  of  milking  the  ewes,  to  make  butter-cheese,  was  believed  to  have 
injured  the  growth  of  the  lamb's  wool.  (See  Lib.  of  Use.  Knowl.,  p.  48.) 

OF  EXAMINING  PILE. — It  often  becomes  necessary,  while  examining  a  hair  under  the 
microscope,  to  turn  it  over  and  back  again,  or  halfway  over — a  task  not  easily  performed. 

*  He  here  speaks  of  white  (albinos)  hair,  and  not  grey  (colorless)  hair,  as  \vo  venture  to  presume. 

t  Proteine  is  the  name  given  to  the  substance  which  enters  into  the  three  important  animal  compounds,  albumin,  fibrin, 
and 


OK,   A  TKKATISK  OX   1'ILK.  j:t:j 

It  also  is  sometimes  required  to  stretch  a  hair,  and  allow  it  to  contract  again,  nhik  under 
examination  microscopically ;  to  effect  which  no  information  is  given  in  the  instructions 
how  to  use  the  microscope.  We  have  invented  and  constructed  a  very  simple  instru- 
ment, by  which  both  the*e  objects  can  be  attained. 


Upon  an  oblong  piece  of  glass,  A  A,  A  A,  of  the  size  of  a  common  slide,  fasten  two 
pieces  of  cork,  B  B,  one  at  each  end  of  the  glass.  Through  a  perforation  in  the  centre, 
crosswise  of  each  cork,  at  the  surface  of  the  glass,  pass  two  sewing  needles,  C,  the  eyes 
being  inward  and  the  points  projecting  a  short  distance  outside  of  the  cork.  Fasten  the 
ends  of  the  hair,  D,  desired  to  be  examined,  on  the  eyes  of  the  needles.  When  this 
instrument  is  placed  on  the  object-holder  of  the  microscope,  the  ends  of  the  keeper  resting 
respectively  upon  the  corks,  and  the  microscope  is  adjusted  so  that  the  hair  comes  into 
focus,  by  taking  hold  of  the  outer  ends  of  the  needles,  you  may  turn  the  hair  in  any 
direction  and  to  any  extent  of  a  revolution  required.  And  by  gently  drawing  the  end  of 
one  needle,  or  both  of 'them,  you  may  stretch  the  hair  while  under  examination,  and  by 
pushing  back  the  ends  of  the  needle  or  needles,  allow  it  to  draw  up  again  to  its  original 
dimensions. 

We  propose  to  call  it  "a  hair  revolver  and  stretcher." 

OF  DESCRIBING  PILE. — By  adopting  some  order  in  which  pile  is  to  be  described,  we 
incur  less  risk  of  omitting  something  which  ought  to  be  noticed.  The  following  is  recom- 
mended : — 

1.  Name,  and  short  description  of  the  animal. 

2.  Name  and  address  of  the  donor  of  the  specimen. 

3.  General  appearance. 

4.  Length,  (noting  whether  it  is  natural  or  artificial.) 

5.  Shape. 

6.  Diameter. 

7.  Color  and  lustre, 

8.  Direction. 

9.  Inclination. 

10.  Ductility,  elasticity  and  tenacity, 

11.  Button — the  dimensions  and  description. 

12.  Sheath, 

13.  Follicle, 

14.  Shaft, 


134  TKICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

1.  Cortex — 

Stria. 
Scales,  or 
Paved. 

2.  Intermediate  fibres. 

3.  Centre — 

Coloring  matter. 

4.  Apex. 

15.  The  appearance  of  disks  or  vertical  sections. 

16.  The  same  when  the  pile  is  crushed. 

17.  The  same  when  treated  with  alteratives. 

18.  Peculiarities  and  affinities  of  the  specimen. 

19.  Remarks. 


OK.  A  TKEAT1.SE  U.\   TILE. 


j:;.-. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

OF  THE  BEAUTY  OF  PILE. — Hair  was,  doubtless,  intended,  in  part,  to  beautify. 

"  Behold  thou  art  fair,  my  love, — behold  thou  art  fair.     Thou  hast  dove's  eyes  within  thy  looks, — thy  hair  is  as  a  flock  of 
Goats  that  appear  upon  Mount  Gilead,  &c.     (Song  of  Solomon,  v.  1.) 

So  in  describing  the  beauty  of  Absalom,  his  hair  is  mentioned.  (2  Sam.  xiv.  25 
and  26.) 

Hair  was  considered  as  the  chief  ornament  of  the  Egyptian  ladies.  Ptolemy  Evergetes, 
king  of  Egypt,  had  a  most  beautiful  wife,  "  Berenice  ;"  who,  being  alarmed  for  his  safety, 
during  his  absence  in  war  with  Antiochus,  king  of  Syria,  made  a  vow  to  consecrate  her 
hair  in  the  Temple  of  Venus,  if  he  returned  safely.  By  some  accident  these  locks  soon 
became  lost;  and  the  Astronomer,  "Conon,"  did  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  they  had  been 
translated  to  the  frmament  and  formed  a  constellation  in  the  Heavens  ! 

Hearken  to  Apuleius:* — "But  because  it  is  a  crime  for  me  to  say  so  and  give  no 
example  thereof.  Know  yee,  that  if  you  spoyle  and  cut  off  the  haire  of  any  woman,  or 
deprive  her  of  the  colour  of  her  face,  though  shee  were  never  so  excellent  in  beauty, 
though  shee  were  thrown  down  from  heaven,  sprung  of  the  seas,  nourished  of  the  flonds, 
though  shee  were  Venus  herselfe,  though  shee  were  accompanied  with  the  Graces,  though 
shee  were  waited  upon  of  all  the  Court  of  Cupid,  though  shee  were  girded  with  her  beautiful 
Skarfe  of  Love,  and  though  shee  smelled  of  perfumes  and  musks,  yet,  if  shee  appeared 
bald,  she  could  in  no  wise  please,  no  not  her  own  Vulcanus. 

"  O  !  how  well  doth  a  fare  colour  and  a  shining  face  agree  with  glittering  haire.  Behold 
it  encountereth  with  the  beams  of  the  sunne  and  pleaseth  the  eye  marvellously.  Some- 
times the  beauty  of  the  haire  resembleth  the  colour  of  gold  and  honey,  sometimes  the  blew 
plumes  and  azured  feathers  about  the  neckes  of  Doves,  especially  when  it  is  either  anointed 
with  the  gumme  of  Arabia,  or  trimmely  tufted  out  with  the  teeth  of  a  fine  combe ;  which,  if 
it  be  tyed  up  in  the  pole  of  the  necke,  it  seemeth  to  the  lover  that  beholdeth  the  same,  as 
a  glasse,  that  yieldeth  forth  a  more  pleasant  and  gracious  comelinesse,  than  if  it  should  be 
sparsed  abroad  on  the  shoulders  of  the  woman,  or  harigdowne  scattering  behind.  Finally, 
there  is  such  a  dignity  in  the  haire,  that  whatsoever  shee  be,  though  shee  be  never  so 
bravely  attyred  with  gold,  silkes,  pretious  stones,  and  other  rich  and  gorgeous  ornaments, 
yet  if  her  haire  be  not  curiously  set  forth,  shee  cannot  see  in  faire."  (Adlington's  Trans- 
lation, (A.  D.  1639,  page  27,)  of  the  Golden  Asse  of  Apuleius.) 

THE  USES  OF  PILE  TO  THE  ANIMAL  UPON  WHOM  IT  GROWS. — The  first  and  most  obvious 
use  of  pile  is  to  prevent  the  animal  heat  from  escaping,  thereby  preserving  an  equili- 

*  Apuleius  was  born  at  Madura,  in  Africa.     He  stiuliod  at  Carthage,  Athens  and  Rome.     His   Golden  Ass,  in  11  books, 
is  an  allegorical  production,  replete  with  morality. 

84 


136  TRICIloLOfUA   MAMMALFCM: 

brium  of  bodily  temperature.     For  this  purpose   pile  has  been  formed,  a  non-conductor  of 
caloric.     The  "  downy  hairs"  distributed  over  our  bodies  cannot  be  expected  to  contribute 
largely  to  this  end  ;    and,  consequently,   we  find  that  whenever  a  part  of  the    person 
requires  more  than  ordinary  protection  from  cold,  a  greater  abundance  of  hair  is  produced. 
Hair  may  also  have  been  intended  to  preserve  the  epidermis  from  the  injurious  effects  of 
too  much  friction,  from  contact  with  hard  external  objects  ;  each  hair,  upon  such  occasions, 
acting  the  part  of  a  friction  rotter.     This  may,  also,  be  one  of  the  uses  of  the  long  hairs 
found,  still  more  plentifully  upon  the  head,  body  and  limbs  of  some  of  the  lower  mam- 
malia ;  they  prevent  their  wool,  which  is  underneath,  from  being  torn  out  by  the  roots, 
and  their  skin  from  being  lacerated  in  their  daily  rambles  through  forests,  their  clamber- 
ing up  trees,  and  their  burrowing  in  the  earth.     The  Mole  (Tatpa  Europea,)  has  a  short, 
soft,  smooth  fur,  offering  little  or  no   resistance  or  adhesion  to  the  moist  earth,  through 
which  he  bxirrows  ;  and  it  is  a  coincidence,  no  less  remarkable  than  instructive,  that   the 
insect,  "Mole  Cricket,'"    (Gryllo  Talpar,)  who  works  his  way  under  ground  in  the   same 
manner,  is  covered  with  a  fine  down,  which  has  corresponding  properties.     In  the  order 
"  Pachyderrnata,"  such  as  the   Elephant,  Rhinoceros  and  Hippopotamus,  the  skin  is  so 
thick  and  tough  as  to  be  impregnable,  and  no  protecting  hairs  are  required  ;  and,  therefore, 
nature  (who  never  labors  in  vain)   has  provided  none.*     If  man  has  fewer  hairs  upon  his 
body,  generally,  than  some  of  the  lower  animals,  he  is,  consequently,  less  impeded  than 
they  are  in  the  refined  sense  of  feeling,  possessed  through  the  dermis  and  epidermis ;  a 
sense  so  necessary  to  his  enjoyment,  but  which  would  be  an  incumbrance  to  inferior  classes 
of  animals.     At  other  times  hair  is  accumulated  to  act  as  a  cushion  of  protection,  as  in  the 
case  of  that  of  our  heads,  where  it  acts,  in  concert  with  the  bony  fortress  of  the  skull,  to 
preserve  the  brain  from  external  injuries.! 

Another  use  of  pile  to  the  animal,  is  to  protect  the  part  upon  which  it  is  produced  from 
the  injurious  effects  of  superabundant  moisture ;  the  hair  collecting  the  fluid  and  repelling 
it  from  the  part.  Insects  which,  like  gnats,  walk  upon  the  surface  of  water,  have,  at  the 
extremity  of  each  foot,  a  brush  of  fine,  hair-like  processes,  (which,  however,  are  not 
true  hairs,)  the  dry  points  of  which  repel  fluids  and  keep  the  fool  and  leg  dry.  And  some 
of  the  hairy-footed  mammalia,  who  inhabit  the  water,  are  provided  with  a  still  further 
means  of  protection  from  the  action  of  moisture,  by  an  adipose  secretion,  with  which  this 
tegumentary  appendage  is  profusely  anointed. 

Hair,  being  electric,  subserves  the  purpose  of  attracting  that  fluid  from  the  atmosphere, 
thereby  keeping  up  a  healthy  circulation  and  preserving  a  proper  equilibrium,  notwith- 


*  The  few  hairs  found  in  the  Elephant's  ear,  and  on  his  jaw  and  tail,  are  noticed  in  another  place. 

f  The  hair  of  the  head  deadens  the  concussion  which  the  brain  would  experience  from  the  infliction  of  heavy  blows ;  and  pre- 
vents the  skin  of  the  scalp  from  being  injured  by  the  attrition  of  bodies.  In  military  service  the  former  of  these  uses  has  been 
taken  advantage  of,  and  an  arrangement  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  exists  naturally  on  the  head,  has  been  adopted  with 
regard  to  the  helmet.  The  metallic  substance  of  which  the  ancient  and  modern  helmets  are  formed,  is  readily  thrown  into 
vibrations, which  being  communicated  to  the  brain,  might,  after  heavy  blows,  derange  its  functions,  more  even  than  the  wound 
inflicted  by  a  sharp  instrument.  To  obviate  this,  the  helmet  is  covered  with  horsehair.  This  arrangement  prevailed  with  the 
Human  soldier.  (Dunglison  Hum.  Physio.,  55.) 


OK.  A  TliKATISi:  t»N   IMI.K.  137 

standing  the  body  is  constantly  imparting  it  to  the  earth.*  This  will,  in  part  at  least, 
explain  why  fur-bearing  animals  are  provided  with  long  hairs  as  well  as  short  wool.  Each 
projecting  hair  is  a  lightning  rod,  (if  one  may  so  speak,)  to  extract  electricity  from  the 
atmosphere ;  at  the  same  time  that  every  movement  of  the  animal,  causes  the  hair  and 
wool  to  rub  together,  and  forming  currents  of  electricity.  There  is  not  (as  every  one 
knows)  a  more  effectual  method  of  exciting  electricity  than  by  rubbing  together  hair  and 
wool,  as  is  done  when  the  hand  is  passed  briskly  over  the  back  of  a  cat;  but  all  the  fric- 
tion you  can  bestow  upon  the  short  hair  of  a  dog  will  be  attended  with  no  such  result. 

The  hairs  of  the  eye-brows  shadow  the  eyes  and  preserve  them  from  too  great  a  glare  of 
light;  for  the  effectual  performance  of  which  function,  the  brows  upon  which  they  grow 
are  provided  with  muscles,  which  are  under  the  control  of  the  will.  The  eye-brow  hairs 
(supercilium)  also  protect  the  eye  from  the  moisture  which  collects  on  the  forehead,  and 
which  would  otherwise  run  into  the  eyes. 

The  hairs  of  the  eye-lids  (cilia)  are  bow-shaped,  and  crossing  each  other,  form  a  screen, 
which  prevents  insects  and  fine  particles  of  matter,  which  float  in  the  atmosphere,  from 
entering  the  eye. 

The  hairs  of  the  nasal  passage  and  of  the  ears,  also,  prevent  the  ingress  of  insects.  When 
in  health  the  principal  part  of  the  air  we  breathe  passes  through  the  nose,  the  shape  of 
which  is  well  calculated  for  its  conveyance  to  the  lungs.  The  sense  of  smell  would 
appear  to  be  placed  in  the  nasal  fossse,  to  give  notice  of  the  presence  of  any  deleterious 
vapor,  and  the  hair  to  prevent  insects  from  obtruding.  Hypogastric  hairs  subserve  the 
same  purpose,  and  in  females  particularly,  to  conduct  off  the  moisture  of  the  body. 

Sometimes  the  uses  of  hair  are  more  temporary,  and,  in  those  cases,  their  endurance  is 
of  the  same  limited  character.  Of  such,  is  the  velvet  coat,  (as  it  is  called,)  which  covers 
and  protects  the  large  vessels  on  the  summit  of  the  head  of  the  Stag,  previously  to  the 
sprouting  of  his  antlers. 

Besides  these,  which  are  the  direct  and  palpable  uses  of  hair,  there  are  others  of  an 
indirect  and  latent  character,  such  as  for  secretion  and  insensible  perspiration  ;  with  the 
functions  of  which  we  yet  know  too  little  to  make  them  objects  of  particular  discussion. 

Bostock  is  of  opinion  that  the  skin  is  the  seat  of  an  extensive  system  of  exhaustion  and 
absorption ;  although  he  acknowledges  that  it  may  be  very  difficult  to  determine  the 
actual  termination  of  the  vessels,  or  the  exact  apparatus  by  which  these  functions  are  per- 
formed. (Syst.  of  Physig.,  p.  50.)  With  these  systems,  (if  they  do  exist,)  pile  is,  doubtless, 
connected.! 

We  believe  that  the  question  has  never  been  decided,  whether  the  skin  of  our  species 
has  a  chemical  action  upon  the  atmosphere  ;  in  the  case  of  the  lower  animals  the  affirma- 
tive seems  to  be  admitted;  and,  therefore,  we  think  that  we  may  be  warranted  in  suggest- 
ing that  another  use  of  hair  to  them,  may  be  to  modify  (hat  action.  We  have  very  high 
authority  for  considering  hairs  as  emunctories.  Boerhave,  Knophof,  Haller,  Blumenback 

*  Magendie,  (Precis  Elem.  177.)  very  erroneously  states  that  hair  is  a  bad  conductor  of  electricity. 
t  But  see  Bichat  in  Anat.  flon.  788,  as  to  absorption  of  hair;  also,  AVilson  on  the  Skin. 


TRICIIOLOOIA  MAMMALIUM: 

and  Schlegel,  have  been  advocates  of  this  opinion.  This  tegumentary  appendage  (they 
say)  acts  as  a  universal  purifier  of  the  humors ;  disencumbering  the  body  from  a  variety 
of  matters,  which  are  of  no  use,  and  which,  therefore,  are  likely  to  become  injurious. 
Haller  and  Schlegel  contend  that  it  transpires  by  its  superior  extremity,  if  not  by  its 
whole  cortex.  The  bulb  (follicle)  is  represented  as  secreting,  besides  the  substance  which 
forms  the  stalk,  a  particular  humor,  which  circulates  through  its  fibres,  and  exhales 
between  its  scales ;  and  the  opinion  is  ventured  that  the  more  a  person  perspires  the 
shorter  will  be  his  hair,  and  vice  versa.  This  rule,  if  true,  ought  (all  other  things  being 
equal)  to  make  the  inhabitants  of  warm  countries  have  the  shortest,  and  those  of  cold 
countries  have  the  longest  hair.  But  the  whole  of  this  theory  is  doubted,*  and  does  not 
seem  to  be  confirmed  by  experience. 

OF  THE  USES  OF  PILE  IN  MANUFACTURES  AND  THE  ARTS. —  Of  the  uses  of  Hair. — Human 
hair,  taken  from  the  heads  of  persons  slain  in  battle,  is  made  a  considerable  object  of  com- 
merce and  profit,  being  used  to  mamifacture  wigs,  scratches,  toupees,  curls,  &c.,  &c.,  to 
adorn  the  living. 

The  hair  of  some  of  the  lower  animals,  such  as  the  Horse,  Ox,  &c.,  is  used  to  increase 
the  tenacity  of  plastering  mortar. 

The  hair  of  the  tail  and  mane  of  the  Horse  has  long  been  woven  into  a  cloth,  exten- 
sively ust'd  in  covering  sofas  and  chairs;  it  is  called  "hair-cloth.'7  It  is  also  used  for 
making  sieves,  &c.  The  hair  of  the  Horse  and  of  Hogs  is,  moreover,  used  for  stuffing 
cushions  of  all  kinds,  and  is  preferable  to  moss,  which,  when  it  becomes  old,  falls  into  a 
powder,  and  penetrating  the  covering,  soils  the  exterior  of  the  cushion.  But  of  all  hair, 
that  of  the  hairy  Sheep  is  the  most  valuable,  being  admirably  adapted,  on  account  of  its 
not  possessing  the  shrinking  property,  to  manufacture  flannels,  hose,  blankets,  &c.,  &c. 
(See  Chapter  IX.) 

The  skins  of  some  of  the  lower  animals  are  tanned  with  the  hair  on,  or  the  hair  and 
wool  on,  and  the  fur  is  taken  from  others  for  making  pelts. t 

The  following  are  among  those  in  common  use  in  this  country:  The  Buffalo,  the  Bear, 
the  Leopard,  the  Dog,  the  Raccoon,  the  Badger,  the  Glutton,  the  Skunk,  the  Polecat,  the 
Fitch  or  Ferret,  the  Weasel,  the  Ermine,  the  Marten,  the  Sable,  the  Mink,  the  Otter,  the 
Beaver,  the  Wolf,  the  Fox,  the  Jackal,  the  Jenet,  the  Tiger,  the  Panther,  the  Lynx,  the 
Cat,  the  Seal,  the  Squirrel,  the  Rabbit,  the  Hare,  the  Chinchilli,  the  Possum,  the  Kan- 
garoo, the  Stag,  the  Elk,  the  Antelope,  the  Sheep,  the  Goat,  &c.,  &c.  Of  all  these  we 
have  specimens  in  our  cabinet,  and  design  to  examine  and  describe  them  in  their  appro- 
priate places. 

In  some  countries,  by  a  moderate  degree  of  labor,  the  skins  of  Lambs  which  are  intended 
for  slaughter  are  converted  into  a  splendid  fabric,  which  commands  a  high  price.  As  soon 


*  See  Diet,  des  Sci.  Med.  v.  43,  p.  275  and  502. 

f  The  vrortipelt,  from  the  Saxon,  (where  it  means  simply  a  hide  or  skin,)  is  used  to  designate  skins  of  the  lower  animals, 
that  are  tanned  with  the  hair  on  or  the  fur  on,  for  the  purpose  of  being  manufactured  into  muffs,  tippets,  &e.,  and  for  lining 
and  trimming  garments  worn  in  cold  countries.  Those  who  deal  in  them  are  called  pelterers  and  furriers. 


UR,  A  TREATISE  ON   PILE.  H',9 

as  the  Lamb  is  dropt,  it  is  clothed  with  a  coarse  linen  garment  calculated  to  keep  a  gentle 
but  constant  pressure  on  the  wool.  Warm  water  is  also  poured  over  it  every  day.  By 
these  simple  means  the  softness,  sleekness,  and  beautiful  waves  of  the  fleece  of  the  new- 
born Lamb,  are  preserved.  By  paying  attention  to  these  directions,  hundreds — we  might 
say  thousands,  of  Lamb  skins,  which  are  now  almost  valueless,  might  be  disposed  of  for 
prices  higher  than  the  carcasses  command. 

There  are  also  some  varieties  of  Dog  skins,  among  the  hundreds  of  those  animals  that 
we  are  obliged  annually  to  destroy,  that  might  be  tanned  with  the  hair  on,  and  which 
would  sell  for  very  high  prices.  It  is  confidently  believed,  that  their  extirpation  might  be 
converted  from  a  charge  to  a  source  of  profit. 

We  will  here  add,  that  it  is  from  the  skin  of  the  Wild  Ass  that  the  grained  leather, 
called  chagrin,  is  manufactured;  and  we  respectfully  suggest  to  the  ingenious  American 
manufacturers,  that  the  skin  of  the  Wild  Horse  of  our  prairies*  might  be  appropriated  to 
the  same  purposes  with  equal  advantages. 

Of  the  uses  of  Wool — Wool  is  used  for  felts  for  the  manufacture  of  hats,  and  for  the 
manufacture  of  cloth. 

Of  the  Wool  of  Sheep. — Of  all  animals  the  Sheep  furnishes  the  most  valuable  wool,  (as 
will  be  shown  in  the  next  Chapter  upon  the  raising  and  breeding  of  Sheep ;)  consequently 
the  raising  and  breeding  of  Sheep  has,  in  all  countries  and  in  all  ages,  been  encouraged. 
Anciently,  the  great  wealth  of  kings  and  princes  consisted  of  Sheep  and  Goats. 

"And  Mesha,  king  of  Moab,  was  a  sheep-master,  and  rendered  unto  the  king  of  Israel  100,000  lambs  and  100,000  rams, 
with  the  wool."     (2  Kings,  iii :  4.) 

And  even  in  modern  times  we  read  that  a  clan  of  Turks,  near  Aleppo,  were  seen  by 
Chardin,  who  had  3,000,000  of  Sheep  and  Goats. 

In  the  kingdom  of  Saxony  they  raise  an  immense  number  of  Sheep,  bearing  fine  wool ; 
their  woollen  manufactories  employ  25,000  people,  besides  which  a  large  quantity  of  wool 
and  a  considerable  number  of  breeding  Sheep  are  annually  sold  and  exported. 

In  the  United  States  every  man,  woman  and  child,  should,  during  the  winter  season, 
wear  flannel  next  the  skin;  and  those  who  follow  occupations  which  cause  them  to  per- 
spire freely,  had  better  wear  it  during  the  summer  likewise. 

The  following  valuable  advice  is  from  a  late  French  work : — 

"  Vetements. — L'usage  des  vetements  de  laine  est  necessaire  a  tous  en  hiver,  du  moins 
pour  la  partie  superieure  du  corps ;  et  meme,  pendant  1'ete,  1'homme  que  sa  profession 
oblige  de  travailler  dans  les  lieux  humide  et  a  des  courants  d'air,  ne  devra  pas  porter  du 
vetements  legers  et  surtout  s'en  depouiller  lorsqu'il  sera  en  suer. 

"Les  bas  de  laine  determine  vers  les  jambes  un  afflux  de  sang  trop  considerable;  a 
moins  que  leur  usage  ne  soit  reclaime  par  des  conditions  de  sante  particuliere,  on  doit  le 
rejeter  dams  la  jeunesse  et  1'age  mur;  mais  c'est  une  ressource  precieuse  dans  la  vieil- 
lesse;  car  alors  il  faut  surtout  etnpecher  le  sang  de  se  porter  vers  la  tete,  et  d'ailleurs  les 
vieillards  ne  sauraient  etre  trop  chaudement  vetus. 

*  And  perhaps  of  our  Mules. 

35 


140  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIT'M 

"  Chausson  de  laine  devraient  etre  adoptes  par  tout  le  monde;  car  c'est  presque  toujours 
par  le  froid  aux  pieds  que  Ton  s'enrlnime,  et  Ton  voit  souvent  une  toux  opiniatre  ceder  au 
seul  usage  de  cette  chaussure  essentiellement  hygienique. 

"  En  general  on  ne  court  aucun  risque,  etl'on  trouve  an  contraire  de  grands  avantages, 
sous  le  rapport  de  la  sante  a  vetir  chaudement. 

"  Les  marins  de  nos  climats  portent  tous  de  la  laine  sur  la  peau  et  des  vetements  de  laine 
epais  et  nombreux, — on  observe  presque  pas  d 'example  de  phthisic  parmi  les  marins. 

"  On  ne  gagne  que  des  maladies  de  poitrine  a  braver  le  froid  avec  des  vetements  insuffi- 
sants.  Parmi  les  enfants  de  1  a  15  rnois  que  rneurent  en  hiver,  la  plupart  sont  tues  par  le 
froid  ou  par  des  maladies  qui  en  sont  de  la  consequence. 

"Les  sauvages  du  nord  de  1'Amerique  vont  nue  des  leur  enfance,  et  a  30  ans  ils  sont, 
pour  la  plupart  tortures  par  les  rheumatismes. 

"  En  Angleterre,  ou  les  enfants  vont  demi-nu,  ou  les  servantes  font  leur  travails  au  matin 
les  bras  nus  jusqu'aux  6paules,  ou  les  femmes  sont  toujours  legererement  vetus,  on  observe 
la  phthisie  pulmonaire  dans  une  proportion  enorme.  A  Londres,  un  quart  des  rnorts  ont 
lieu  par  sxiite  de  phthisie. 

"  La  phthisic  chez  les  femmes,  n'a  jamais  ete  plus  frequente  en  France  qu'apres 
1'Empire,  epoque  ou  les  femmes  portaient  les  cheveux  a  la  Titus,  les  bras  nu  et  la  poitrine 
forte  decouverte. 

"  C'est  done  un  prejuge  meutrier  que  celui  des  parents  qui,  pendant  1'hiver,  prornenent 
leur  enfants  les  epaules,  les  bras  et  les  jambes  nus,  sou  pretexte  de  fortifier  leur  constitu- 
tion." (An.  D'Hygiene.) 

OF  THE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — Especial  care  must  be  taken  not  to  confound  the  Mazama 
with  the  Mountain  Sheep,  (Ovis  Montana,  of  Desm,)  which  is  extensively  distributed 
through  North  America,  along  the  highlands  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  hair  of  which 
is  coarse  and  brittle,  while  that  of  the  Mazama  is  fine  and  soft. 

Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  Mountain  Sheep,  (Ovis  Montana.) — 
Specimen  presented  by  the  late  Dr.  Samuel  George  Morton,  of  this  city. 

General  appearance,  that  of  dried  vegetable  fibres;  length,  (natural,)  from  2  to  3  inches; 
shape,  a  compressed  and  irregular  oval;  diameter,  from  j3^  to  -ffc  of  a  millimeter;  color, 
cinereus;  no  lustre;  direction,  at  an  acute  angle;  inclination,  slightly  undulated;  no 
sensible  ductility  nor  elasticity ;  tenacity,  broke  with  170  grains;  button,  pestle-shaped, 
white  and  opaque,  succeeded  by  a  neck  which  is  white  and  opaque  also,  and  which  sepa- 
rates the  button  from  the  shaft;  length  of  the  button,  \  of  a  millimeter;  that  of  the  neck, 
|  of  a  millimeter;  diameter  of  the  button,  T|u of  a  millimeter,  and  that  of  the  neck,  yf-j-; 
that  of  the  shaft  being  -fifo;  shaft,  cortex  paved,  white,  and  compressed,  quadrilateral  and 
pentagonal  figures,  some  of  which  measure  less  than  ^^  of  a  millimeter;  intermediate  sub- 
stance, white,  opaque  and  granular ;  centre,  white,  translucent  and  granular ;  the  shaft  is 
easily  crushed. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  the  above  description,  that  this  pile  can  be  of  no  use  in  manufactures 


'IK,   A  TREATISE  ON  PIT,!;  141 

OF  THE  GOAT. — C.  1.  Qnadrupedia.  O.  VI.,  Pecora  G.,  Capraof  Lin.  Horns,  concave, 
inclined  upwards,  straight  and  rough  :  teeth,  fore,  eight ;  lower,  shorter,  more  acute;  canine, 
none.  The  great  Swedish  Naturalist  enumerates  eleven  species  of  Goats. 

Buffon  considers  the  Ibex,  the  Chamois  and  the  domestic  Goat,  as  one  species.  (See 
Nat.  Hist.,  v.  3,  p.  218.) 

Milne  Edwards  (who  follows  Cuvier)  places  the  Goat  in  the  order  of  "  Ruminants,"  in 
the  division  of  "R.  with  horns,"  in  the  tribe  of  "hollow  horns,"  and  the  genus  of  "Capra;" 
and  points  out  two  wild  species,  the  "  yEgagre"  and  the  "Bouquetin."  He  is  of  opinion, 
that  the  domestic  Goat  is  a  descendant  of  these  two  wild  species.  The  three  races  of 
Goats  most  esteemed,  are  the  Goats  of  Thibet,  (also  called  the  Cashmere  Goat.)  the 
Angora  and  the  Kirguis. 

Goats  must  have  been  domesticated  at  a  very  early  period ;  for,  in  the  Song  of  Solomon, 
written  1014  years  B.  C.,  mention  is  familiarly  made  of  "feeding  the  kids  before  the  shep- 
herd's tents;  but,  as  most  things  are  judged  of  by  comparison,  the  Goat  has  ever  been 
regarded  with  less  respect,  because  he  is  supposed  to  be  inferior  to  the  Sheep ;  as  the 
humble  Ass  is  treated  with  contempt  when  compared  with  the  noble  Horse.  It  is  possible 
that  religious  impressions  may  have,  unwittingly,  kept  alive  this  feeling,  owing  to  the 
purity  always  attributed  to  the  Lamb,  and  the  wicked  being  compared  with  the  Goat. 

"  And  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  Him,  then  shall  He  sit  upon  th'e  Throne  of  His 
Glory,  and  before  Him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations;  and  He  shall  separate  them,  one  from  another,  as  a,  sheplierd  divide/h 
his  sheep  from  the  goats  ;  and  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand,  but  the  yoals  on  the  left,"  &c.,  &e.  (Matt.  25:  21.) 

Nevertheless  there  are,  as  we  shall  perceive  in  the  sequel,  some  races  of  Goats  whose 
fleece  is  quite  as  valuable  as  that  of  the  Sheep ;  and  we  shall,  notwithstanding  the  severe 
sentence,  figuratively,  denounced  by  the  Apostle  upon  the  poor  Goat,  of  "curses  and  ever- 
lasting fire,"  venture  to  commend  this  animal  to  the  especial  attention  of  the  American 
agriculturists. 

OF  THE  GOAT  OF  THIBET. — Thibet,  in  Asia,  extends  from  the  source  of  the  Indus  to 
the  borders  of  China,  and  from  Hindoostan  to  the  Desert  of  Gobi — a  distance  of  1,500 
miles.  The  capital  is  Lassa.  Thibet  is  mountainous,  and  intersected  by  very  large 
rivers;  the  climate  is  cold,  the  soil  sterile,  and  vegetation  scanty.  The  principal  wealth  of 
the  inhabitants  consists  of  cattle,  among  which  is  the  Goat,  which  furnishes  the  fine  fleece 
from  which  are  manufactured  the  valuable  shawls  of  Cashmere. 

Cashmere  is  a  province  of  India,  belonging  to  Hindoostan,  and  this  fine  fleece  of  Thibet 
is  taken  there  and  manufactured  into  shawls,  whence  the  animal  is  sometimes,  but  very 
improperly,  called  "the  Cashmere  Goat."  They  are  said  to  employ  in  this  manufacture 
16,000  looms,  and  that  80,000  shawls  are  annually  produced. 

OF  THE  ANGORA  GOAT. — Natolia  (or  Anatolia)  is  a  province  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  extend- 
ing from  the  Black  Sea  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  from  Caramaniato  the  Archipelago  and 
the  Sea  of  Marmora.  In  this  province  are  raised  another  fine  breed  of  Goats,  called  the 
"Angora,"  from  the  city  where  the  wool  is  manufactured  into  shawls,  which  are  said  to 


142  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

rival  those  of  Cashmere.     Each  Goat  is  represented  to  yield  from  200  to  300  drachms  of 
wool  at  each  shearing,  which  takes  place  twice  a  year. 

OF  THE  GOAT  OF  KIRGUIS. — The  immense  plains  of  Kirguis,  in  Independent  Tartary, 
are  inhabited  by  a  people  who  raise  a  third  kind  of  valuable  Goat,  which  produces  wool  of 
great  fineness. 

The  Introduction  of  these  Goats  into  the  United  States. — Exertions  have  been  made  to 
introduce  some  of  these  valuable  Goats  into  France,  which,  we  regret  to  say,  have  not  been 
attended  with  success;  but  this  ought  not  to  discourage  the  enterprising  American 
Agriculturist,  who  is  aware  of  the  fact,  that  the  raising  and  breeding  of  the  fine  woolled 
Saxon  Merino  Sheep  has  here  succeeded  to  admiration,  while  in  France  it  has  proved  to 
be  a  comparative  failure. 

We  will  first  enumerate  some  of  the  inducements  to  introduce  fine  breeds  of  Goats  into 
our  country,  and  will  then  show  what  has  already  been  done.  The  Goat  is  a  cosmopolitan, 
he  is  found  rambling  amidst  the  snows  of  Norway,  and  basking  in  the  burning  sun  of 
Africa.  Even  the  fine  varieties,  to  which  we  have  above  alluded,  brave  the  mountainous, 
cold  climate  of  Thibet;  feeding  upon  the  scanty  vegetation  of  that  sterile  soil,  or  luxu- 
riating in  the  fertile  district  of  Natolia.  He  is  easily  sustained. — as  the  Sheep  follows  the 
Ox,  fattening  upon  the  gleanings,  so  the  Goat  prospers  upon  the  scanty  remains  of  vege- 
tation left  by  the  Sheep,  or  in  worn  out  and  neglected  fields;  in  seme  places,  as  for 
instance,  in  Norway,  feeding,  like  the  Reindeer,  upon  simple  moss. 

He  is  a  most  valuable  companion  of  the  pioneer  to  the  "far  west,"  thriving  upon 
boughs,  and  even  upon  the  bark  of  trees  cut  down  in  clearing,  or  for  fuel,  where  all  other 
domestic  animals  would  starve.  The  Goat  is  less  liable  to  diseases  than  the  Sheep.  He 
naturally  attaches  himself  to  man,  and  appears  to  be  grateful  for  the  very  few  favors  he 
receives  at  his  hand. 

The  female  Goat  commences  breeding  when  only  one  year  or  eighteen  months  old,  and 
continues  until  she  is  seven ;  she  produces,  in  temperate  climates,  one,  two  and  three  at  a 
birth ;  and  in  warmer  ones,  three,  four  and  five.  She  may  be  milked  in  fifteen  days  after 
parturition;  the  milk  is  sweet,  nourishing,  and  medicinal;  not  apt  to  curdle  on  the 
stomach,  as  much  as  that  of  the  Cow,  for  which  reason  it  is  recommended  to  those  whose 
digestion  is  imperfect.  It  has  an  agreeable  flavor,  imparted,  no  doubt,  by  the  wild  food 
upon  which  the  animal  delights  to  feed.  This  quality  renders  it  peculiarly  appropriate 
to  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  chesse.  The  suet  of  the  Goat  makes  candles  superior  in 
whiteness  and  goodness  to  that  of  the  Ox  or  Sheep. 

The  skins  of  the  Goat  are  useful  in  the  manufacture  of  morocco  leather,  parchment 
and  vellum;  we  are  told  that  from  Norway  80,000  raw  Goat  hides  are  annually  exported. 
In  Turkey  and  the  Crimea,  morocco  leather  is  made  from  the  hide  of  the  male  Goat,  which 
is  highly  prized  all  over  the  world.  The  skin  of  the  Kid  is  made  into  gloves  of  the  best 
quality,  and  always  commands  the  highest  prices.  The  horns  are  extensively  used  for 
handles  to  tools  of  many  kinds.  Of  the  pile  are  made  various  articles  of  clothing,  from 
the  luxurious  shawl,  to  the  humbler  but  more  useful  camblet. 


01!,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  1  .|:j 

The  Goat  lives  from  11  to  12  years,  its  flesh  is  used  as  food;  1liat,  of  tlic  kid  being- 
esteemed  to  be  more  delicate  than  that  of  the  lamb.  In  several  parts  of  Ireland  and  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland  the  Goat  constitutes  the  chief  agricultural  riches.  The  Welsh 
goats  are  also  much  celebrated. 

Having  endeavored  to  retrieve  the  character  of  the  goat,  we  will  next  show  what  has 
been  done,  and  what  can  be  done  to  render  him  a  valuable  animal  in  the  United  States. 

Colonel  Wade  Hampton,  of  South  Carolina,  has  introduced  upon  his  farm  the  Thibet 
Goats.  He  kindly  sent  us  a  number  of  specimens  of  their  fleece,  which  are  fine  and  silky. 
When  we  recommend  the  agriculturists  of  the  United  States  to  introduce  upon  their 
farms  the  Thibet  Goat,  it  is  not  as  a  mere  experiment,  and  we  refer  them  with  confidence 
to  the  patriotic  and  scientific  gentleman  whose  name  we  have  just  quoted ;  who,  we  are 
sure  will  take  pleasure  in  imparting  any  information  he  may  possess  in  the  premises,  upon 
a  proper  application. 

We  notice  that  two  of  the  specimens  are  marked  "half  breed,  between  the  Cashmere  and 
common  Goat."  We  have  also  in  our  collection  of  pile  one  specimen  marked  "Angora 
Goat,"  obtained  through  the  politeness  of  R.  C.  Weightman,  Esq.,  of  the  United  States 
Patent  Office,  but  where  it  was  raised  we  have  not  learned. 

* 

OF  THE  MAZAMA,  (OF  RAF.)  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  GOAT  OF  HARLAN  AND  SCHINTZ. — 
The  Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the,  Mazama  (Raf.J  Americana,  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Goat  of  liar  Ian  and  Schintz. — Specimens  presented  by  Professor  Samuel 
S.  Haldeman.  This  pile  is  of  two  kinds,  one  longer  and  coarser  than  the  other.  The 
general  apearance  of  the  first  is  of  lamb's  hair — of  the  second,  of  the  under  coat  of  the 
poodle  dog.  The  first  is  in  length  about  four  inches,  but  it  appears  to  have  been  cut,  not 
drawn  out  of  the  skin  of  the  animal.  Shape,  eccentrically  elliptical ;  depressed  in  the 
centre,  tapering  from  the  inferior  to  the  superior  extremities.  The  diameters  of  four  fila- 
ments, taken  in  three  places  of  each  : 

No   1.  jJT  by  rig         ^T  by  *ta         TTT  by  ^  of  an  inch. 
2-  sir  '    yit         T~ST  ' 

"        Q  1         «          1  1         it 

*'    S3T  62~S  2~3l 

"       A         1        "        1  1        "         1  1        '<        1  " 

*'•    UFO  6  2  ^  2"66  T  63  26*  TD'TT 

Color,  white;  direction,  straight,  but  undulated. 
Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fo  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"        220     "  "  "  -7—          "  "  " 

270     "  "  «          if         "  minus  ^ 

320     "     broke. 

Fracture,  abrupt;  shaft,  composed  of  three  parts,  viz:  1st,  a  cortex  which  is  white  and 
too  thin  to  be  measured  ;  2d,  a  black,  fibrous  band,  of  the  thickness  of  ^ST  of  an  inch  ; 
3d,  a  white,  opaque,  granular  centre,  which  has  a  fleecy  appearance ;  apex,  sometimes 
abrupt,  but  mostly  pointed;  none  furcated;  transverse  sections  or  disks  exhibit  plainly,  the 
shape  and  three  parts  above  enumerated.  (See  fig.  96.) 
36 


144  TKICI10LOGIA  MAMMALIUM  : 

When  a  filament  is  crushed,  the  fibres  readily  separate.  They  have  a  diameter  of  g-i-ft- 
of  an  inch,  but  may  be  divided  into  fibrils  of  from  -%-^-Q  to  ^Vor  °f  an  inch.  The  central 
matter  which  oozes  out  from  the  interior,  is  white,  opaque,  and  granular ;  the  grains  of  an 
irregular  and  heterogeneous  shape  ;  the  smallest  less  than- the  -JOTO^  of  an  inch. 

The  Small  Pile. — Length,  1T|7  inch;  shape,  oval;  diameter,  from  TJy¥  to  T^T^  of  an 
inch.  The  shaft  consists  of  three  parts,  like  the  first  described,  but  the  cortex  is  compara- 
tively thicker.  It  is  undulated  and  slightly  frizzled ;  no  furcations. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — With  12  grains  one  inch  parted  with  its  undulations 
and  elongated  g\  of  an  inch. 

With  25  grains  one  inch  stretched  ^,  elasticity  entire. 
u       gfj      «  11  u  _4_  u  u 

"      45     "  g\    minus  ^  of  an  inch. 

'(  KK  4!  II  II  14  11  5  It 

ifcr  o~o 

••(',">•-  "  "  '20  "  X  11 

-QO  -90 

ii         T\       u  u  u  2  <i  u          1  :t  11 

/0  9Tl  !TO 

"      85     "     broke. 

Scales  upon  the  cortex,  3,500  upon  one  inch  of  length. 

• 

THE  PILE  OF  THE  COMMON  GOAT. — The  skin  of  the  common  Goat  is  peculiarly  well 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  gloves,  and  is  used  to  make  morocco  leather.  From  their 
hair  is  also  made  camlet,  which  for  beauty  those  of  Syria  are  much  esteemed.  The 
fleece  of  the  Russian  Goat  is  much  extolled  as  consisting  of,  first,  a  short  stiff  hair,  and 
secondly,  a  fine  soft  wool  which  grows  at  the  roots  of  the  other  pile.  Some  of  the  latter 
was  sent  to  England  to  be  manufactured,  the  quantity  was  so  small  that  the  chain  was 
made  of  silk,  and  the  fabric  is  represented  to  have  been  equal  to  the  finest  Indian  shawls. 
This  induced  Dr.  Anderson  to  examine  the  pile  of  the  common  English  Goat,  among 
which  it  is  said  he  found  the  very  same  substance.  From  this  experiment  the  author  of 
Illus.  of  Nat.  Hist,  ventures  the  assertion,  that  a  variety  of  the  goat  species  in  Great 
Britain  does  actually  produce  a  wool  of  perhaps  finer  quality  than  that  which  is  yielded 
by  any  sheep  whatever.  (See  Anderson's  Recreat.  in  Agric.  v.  2,  p.  231.)  We  earnestly 
recommend  to  the  enterprising  American  farmers  to  try  the  experiment  of  raising  and 
breeding  the  common  Goal  of  this  country  for  the  fleece. 

OF  THE  CAMEL. — This  animal,  according  to  Edwards,  (Elem.  de  Zool.,  432,)  belongs 
to  the  eighth  order,  viz: — "Ruminants" — the  section  "without  horns" — and  the  tribe 
"Camel."  There  are  seven  species,  viz:  1st,  the  Arabian  Camel  or  Dromedary,  (the 
Camelus  Dromedarius  of  Linn.,  and  Le  Dromedaire  of  BufF. ;)  2d,  the  Bactrian  Came!, 
(C.  Bactrianus  of  Linn.,  the  Chameau  of  BufF. ;)  3d,  the  Lama,  Camelus  (Glamaof  Linn., 
the  Lama  of  Buff.;)  4th,  the  Guanaco  or  Huanaco  of  Molina,  (see  Nat.  Hist,  of  Chili;) 
5th,  the  Peruvian  Camel,  (C.  Arcuanus  of  Linn.,  found  in  Peru  and  Chili;)  6th,  the 
Vicunna,  (the  C.  Vicugna  of  Linn.,  the  Vicunna  of  Pennant;)  7th,  the  Paco  or  Alpaca, 
(the  C.  Paco  of  Linn.,  and  Pacos  of  Pennant.) 


OR,   A  TRKATISK  ON   PILE.  140 

The  Arabian  Camel  or  Dromedary,  or  Camel  with  but  one  hunch,  belongs  originally  to 
Arabia,  as  one  of  its  names  imports ;  it  is  smaller  than  the  other  species;  there  are  several 
varieties,  as  the  Turkman,  which  is  the  largest  and  strongest ;  the  Arabian,  which  is 
hardy,  and  the  Maihany  and  Raguahl,  which  is  swift.  The  Camel  is  capable  of  traveling 
eight  or  ten  days  upon  a  few  dates  and  a  little  flour;  it  being  generally  supposed  that,  on 
such  occasions,  the  fat  of  the  hump  administers  to  its  support. 

The  hair  is  soft;  longest  about  the  neck,  under  the  throat  and  about  the  hunch;  the 
color  of  that  on  the  protuberance  is  dusky;  that  on  the  other  parts,  of  a  reddish-ash  color. 
The  Camel  is  used  as  a  beast  of  burthen  in  Egypt,  and  along  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  in 
Morocco,  Sara  and  Ethiopia.  It  lives  from  forty  to  fifty  years.  Its  flesh  and  milk  are 
esteemed  for  food,  and  its  pile  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  rich  shawls,  hats,  cloth, 
carpets,  &c.  It  is  provided  with  a  bag,  serving  as  a  reservoir  of  pure  water,  which  it  can 
pour  into  the  stomach  or  raise  even  to  the  throat,  at  pleasure.  It  will  carry  a  weight  ot 
1,000  to  1,200  pounds.  In  Upper  Egypt  a  Camel  is  worth  from  200  to  300  livres. 

Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  Camel. — Specimen  presented  by  Mr. 
David  Samuels,  of  Philadelphia,  dealer  in  furs  and  pelts. 

The  long  Pile. — Length,  from  -£$  to  -^  of  a  meter;  shape,  cylindrical  and  cylindroidal ; 
greatest  diameter,  T|T  of  a  millimeter;  color,  dark  brown;  lustre,  considerable. 
Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     220       "  "  "          ^  "  minus  ^ 

"     270       "  "  "         ¥V  "  "        A 

"     320       "  "          H  "  »V 

"     370      "  "  "         li  "  "        ^ 

"     420      "     broke.     Fracture,  abrupt. 

Button,  sometimes  white  and  spindle-shaped,  at  others  trumpet-shaped,  dark  colored, 
and  angled  ;  length,  -J^,  and  diameter,  T-£¥  of  a  millimeter;  sheath,  white,  transparent  and 
fibrous;  length,  f  of  a  millimeter;  diameter,  -J^;  shaft,  tapering;  diameters,  at  the  sheath, 
Tf  u,  but  gradually  widens  to  T^,  and  gradually  narrows  to  the  apex,  where  it  is  only  T|7 
of  a  millimeter;  cortex,  dark  brown;  the  coloring  matter  in  transverse  lines,  which  appear 
to  be  formed  by  a  succession  of  dark  colored  rings,  occupying  about  i  of  the  diameter  of 
the  shaft.  When  a  filament  is  wetted  and  pressed  between  two  pieces  of  glass,  these  rings 
fade  away,  but  re-appear  when  the  pressure  is  removed.  When  the  pile  is  imbedded  in 
Canada  balsam,  the  rings  sometimes  disappear  entirely,  leaving  the  cortex  light  fawn 
colored,  with  transverse  striae  of  specks  of  light.  At  other  times  the  cortex  becomes 
entirely  transparent,  except  some  broken  lines  of  coloring  matter  in  the  centre.  Fibres, 
white,  translucent,  coarse,  and  difficult  to  separate. 

The  short  Pile. — Staple,  2^  inches;  shape,  cylindroidal;  diameter,  varies  from  1^  to 

T,1|1J  of  a  millimeter;  button,  spindle-shaped,  white  and  opaque;  length,  T$T,  and  diameter, 

Tf 7  of  a  millimeter,  when  the  shaft  is  -j-J^;  cortex,  white;  scales,  500  to  an  inch  in  length. 

This  fleece,  owing  to  its  great  fineness,  recommends  itself  to  the  manufacturer,  although 

from  its  shape  and  small  number  of  scales,  we  would  conjecture  that  its  felting  and  fulling 


146  TRICIIOLOdlA  MAMMALIDM; 

properties  are  not  very  great.     But  as  the  Camel  is,  in  other  respects,  a  highly  useful 
animal,  it  might  be  as  well  to  try  to  domesticate  it  in  the  United  States. 

OF  THE  LAMA,  (ANCHENIA,)  "CAMEL  OF  THE  NEW  WORLD,"  OF  EDWARDS. — This 
animal  belongs  to  the  tribe  "  Camel,"  of  the  section  "  without  horns,"  of  the  eighth  order, 
viz:  "Ruminantia;"  Camelus  Glama,  of  Linn.,  and  Lama  of  Buff.  He  is  about  4  feet 
high;  his  body,  comprehending  his  head  and  neck,  5  feet  6  inches — the  neck  alone  being 
nearly  3  feet.  Peru  is  said  to  be  his  native  country,  where  his  race  is  found  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  and  is  much  esteemed  for  the  flesh  as  well  as  the  pile,  which  latter 
is  converted  into  beautiful  clothing.  The  Lama  is  also  used  as  a  beast  of  burthen,  being 
very  strong  and  sure-footed.  He  will  travel  with  200  to  250  pounds  weight  upon  his 
back.  In  the  time  of  Bolivar,  upwards  of  300,000  of  these  animals  were  employed  at  the 
mines  of  Potosi.*  Some  Lamas  are  black,  others  brown;  and  a  white  one  (probably  an 
Albino,  (was  exhibited  at  the  London  Zoological  Garden.  The  one  from  which  our  speci- 
mens of  pile  were  taken,  was  shown  at  the  Zoological  Institute  in  Philadelphia,  in  1848. 
It  was  brown,  paler  on  the  under  parts.  The  Lama  is  not  as  long  lived  as  the  Camel — 
his  existence  being  limited  to  15  or  20  years. 

Examination  and  Description  of  the  Pile  of  the  Lama. — The  Pile  of  the  Chest. — Length, 
tl  inches;  shape,  oval;  diameter,  y^V  of  a  millimeter  by  T7Q  ;  color,  light  brown;  no 
lustre ;  inclination,  straight. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity  of  one  inch. — 

With  170  grains  it  stretched  -^  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"      220     "  "  A 


tl 

270 

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77 

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ll                             tt                  5.0 

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tt             £Q.                         " 

97 

11 

1,220 

"     broke.     Fracture, 

abrupt. 

*  Lamas  are  still  used  in  Peru  as  beasts  of  burthen.     At  the  Salines,  near  Huacho,  they  are  employed  in  carrying  lumps 
of  solid  salt — oaeh  one  carrying  100  pounds  on  his  back.     (Tschudi's  Travels  in  Peru.) 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  IMI/E.  147 

Button,  little  more  than  a  swelling;  length,  -^L;  greatest  diameter,  -^fc — that  of  the 
shaft  being  T£7  of  a  millimeter;  a  slight  club  at  the  lower  extremity;  sheath,  white,  trans- 
parent; length,  |;  diameter,  £  of  a  millimeter;  shaft,  uniform  in  shape  and  diameter; 
cortex,  white,  fibrous,  transversely  striated  and  transparent;  fibres,  white,  transparent; 
disks,  exhibit  a  white  centre,  which  is  sometimes  eccentrically  elliptical,  being  T|-Q  by 
Tf  7  of  a  millimeter ;  at  others,  the  shape  of  a  chain  shot,  and  at  others,  strise  irregular ; 
apex,  pointed.  (See  fig.  97.) 

The  Pile  of  the  Back. — Length,  3i  inches;  shape,  imperfectly  cylindrical;  compressed 
on  three  sides;  diameter,  Tf7  of  a  millimeter;  shaft,  irregular;  color,  light  brown;  slightly 
undulated ;  apex,  pointed. 

Ductility,  Elasticity  and  Tenacity. — 

With  170  grains  one  inch  stretched  -fa  of  an  inch,  elasticity  entire. 
"     22°       "  94o  minus  ft 

"     270       «  «  ft  "  "       ¥% 

"     47°       "  96o  "      A 

"     52°        "  97cr  "•       ^ 

"     570        "  "  _?-  "  "         4 

90  97 

"     620        «  «  ft.  «  «       ^ff 

"       67°  "  If  "         A 

"       72°  "  if  "  "         i£ 

"     770       "     broke.     Fracture,  compound. 

Disk,  exhibits  a  dark  colored  white,  of  a  compressed  cylinder,  with  a  white  centre 
formed  by  the  union  of  three  white  dots,  so  arranged  as  to  form  together  a  compressed 
right  angle  triangle.  The  great  ductility  of  this  pile,  especially  that  of  the  breast,  indi- 
cates a  great  degree  of  softness,  which  compensates  for  its  comparative  coarseness.  (See 
fig.  97.) 

OF  THE  VICUNIA,  (CAMELUS  VICUGNA.) — This  animal  also  belongs  to  the  genus  Lama, 
and  the  tribe  of  "  Camels."  He  is  about  as  large  as  a  Sheep,  and  is  equally  remarkable 
for  his  fawn  colored  wool  of  an  admirable  fineness  and  softness.  He  inhabits  the  heights 
of  the  Andes  in  Peru  and  Chili ;  where  he  is  sought  for  his  wool,  to  be  fabricated  into 
precious  stuffs.  (Elem.  de  Zool.,  435.) 

The  animal  from  which  our  specimens  were  taken  was  from  Buenos  Ayres.  He  is 
smaller  than  the  Lama  Anchenia,  his  limbs  more  neatly  formed,  and  no  protuberance  on 
the  breast.  He  is  of  a  reddish-brown  color  on  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  and  whitish- 
brown  below.  Dr.  Von  Tschudi  says,  that  in  Tarma  and  its  neighborhood  the  natives 
weave  an  exquisitely  fine  description  of  woollen  cloth  from  the  fleece  of  the  Vicunia  and 
Alpaca.  A  poncho,  made  of  these  materials,  will  sell  for  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars.  The  hairs  are  the  long  and  short,  from  the  back  and  sides. 

OF  THE  PACA  OR  ALPACA. — This  is  the  vulgar  name  of  one  variety  of  another  species 
of  the  Lama,  viz :  the  L.  Guanaco.     The  Guanaco  is  found  in  all  the  high  mountains  oi 
'    37 


1 48  TRICHOLOG I A   M  A  M  M  A 1 ,  II  M 

South  America.     He  is  as  tall  as  a  Deer,  and  his  covering  is  chestnut  color,  and  coarse  ; 
but  the   Paca  or  Alpaca  is  domesticated,  and  his  covering  (it  is  said)  is  composed  of  a 
woolly  hair,*  which  is  very  long,  and  which,  for  fineness  and  elasticity,  ranks  next  to  the 
most  beautiful  wool  of  the  Goats  of  Thibet.      (Elem.  de  Zool.,  435.) 
We  have  seen  none  of  this  fleece. 

OF  STAPLE. — When  specimens  of  wool,  especially  of  the  Merino  and  Saxony  Merino 
are  examined,  it  is  perceived  that  the  filaments  do  not  hang  independently,  side  by  side, 
as  do  hairs  in  a  lock ;  but  that  certain  of  them  unite  at  their  anterior  extremities,  forming 
tufts  ;  and  these  tufts  are  again  partially  united,  forming  locks.  With  a  pair  of  tweezers 
and  under  a  magnifying  glass,  we  separated  these  filaments  of  a  lock,  one  by  one,  thus 
ascertaining  that  each  was  distinct.  In  not  a  single  instance  did  we  discover  that 
"  branching  from  the  main  trunk  like  boughs  from  the  principal  stem,'"  described  by  some 
observers.  (See  Lib.  of  Usf.  Know.,  6,  5.)  These  tufts  and  locks  are  what  Mr.  Fleish- 
man calls  "  the  staple."  (See  Report  of  the  Commis'r.  of  Patents,  1847,  p.  271.)  Above  the 
junction,  the  filaments  have  somewhat  the  appearance  of  **web,  but,  upon  close  examina- 
tion, it  is  found  to  be  a  tangling  of  the  filaments  only;  which  is  owing,  probably,  to  the 
spiral  curls.  The  terminations  of  these  tufts  have  been  the  subject  of  examination  and 
animadversion,  and  the  result  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  book  and  page  last  cited. 

Dr.  lire  remarks,  that  the  best  length  of  staple,  for  cloth,  is  from  two  to  three  inches. 
But  Merino  Saxony  wool  has  from  four  to  five,  and  is  in  high  estimation.  (Philos.  of 
Manf.,  p.  129.) 

Of  Stapling. — The  "middle  man,"  between  the  breeder  and  the  manufacturer,  whose 
business  it  is  to  assort  the  wool,  is  called  the  wool-stapler. ,"f 

Formerly,  all  wools  were  distinguished  into  fine  and  coarse,  these  (which  are  at  best 
vague  and  indefinite;  terms)  become  more  so  when  it  is  recollected  that  often  fine  fleeces 
have  some  coarse  filaments,  and  coarse  fleeces  some  fine  ones.  Wool  is  now  divided 
according  to  the  following:  1,  fine;  2,  pure;  3,  straight;  4,  elasticity;  5,  staple;  G, 
color  ;  7,  mixture  of  coarse  and  fine  ;  8,  tenacity;  9,  freedom  from  stains. 

Nicholson  (in  Dictionary  of  Chem.,  title  Wool,)  says  that  simple  inspection  may  easily 
lead  to  error  in  wool  stapling,  and  recommends  the  use  of  the  microscope  and  michrometer  ; 
but  a  good  microscope  costs  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  when  possessed,  requires  some 
practice  before  it  can  be  used  with  success.  The  stapler,  being  familiar  with  the  qualities 
of  fleece,  with  an  accuracy  which  requires  a  delicate  sense  of  touch,  a  quick  eye  and  long 
training  and  experience,  divides  the  fleece  into  nine  parcels  :  the  picklock,  the  prime, 
the  choice,  the  super,  the  head,  the  downright,  the  seconds,  the  abb,  and  the  livery .\ 
But  the  breeder  and  manufacturer  ought,  also,  to  have  at  least  a  moderate  knowledge  of 

*  This  is  a  very  vague. description ! 

t  Staple,  (Staple  Belg.,)  originally  signified  a  public  place  or  market  whore  goods  were  exposed  for  sale.  "  Staple  com- 
modities," are  those  upon  vrhich  a  country  chiefly  depends.  Wool  was  one  of  the  staple  commodities  of  England,  and  hence 
lie  who  assorted  it  for  market  was  called  "  a  wool-stapler." 

I  In  Spain  the  Merino  wool  is  separated  into  four  parcels  only.     (Sec  Lib.  Usf.  Know.,  p.  154.) 


UK.  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  149 

fleece  ;  how  is  this  to  be  obtained?  Let  him  practice  with  the  michrorneter  thai  we  have 
proposed,  until  he  is  able  to  ascertain  the  relative  fineness  of  wool  ;  that  will  answer  all 
his  purposes.  Let  him  then  practice  with  the  trichometer,  until  he  is  able  to  determine 
its  ductility,  elasticity*  and  tenacity,  He  will  then  be  enabled  to  determine  the  four  most 
essential  properties  of  fleece,  and  will  never  be  at  a  loss  to  judge  of  its  value,  for  himself. 
It  is  to  this  platform  of  independence  that  we  desire  to  elevate  the  American  farmer  and 
manufacturer. 

OF  THE  STRENGTH  OF  PILE.  —  That  the  strength  of  pile  depends,  in  a  great  measure, 
upon  the  vitality  of  the  animal  upon  whose  body  it,  grows,  cannot,  we  think,  admit  of  a 
doubt.  Having,  by  repeated  experiments,  ascertained  the  average  strength  of  the  hair  ot 
the  head  of  oval-haired  men,  we  compared  that  with  the  hair  of  persons  of  known  vital 
power,  and  also  with  the  hair  of  others  ascertained  to  be  defective  in  vitality,  and  we  found 
that  the  strength  of  the  hair  corresponds  with  the  vital  power  in  a  remarkable  manner. 

For  example,  we  took  the  hair  of  A  -  S  -  ,  who  is  about  28  years  of  age,  5J-|  in 
height,  in  health,  but  who  has*ever  been  remarkable  for  a  deficiency  of  vital  powers;  one 
lock  of  filament,  being  tried  with  the  trichometer,  broke  with  a  weight  of  470  grains. 

One  inch  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  J  -  K.  M  -  ,  who  is  35  years  of  age,  6  feet  high, 
of  a,  good  constitution,  and  in  health,  broke  with  823  grains. 

One  inch  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  William  M.  Swain,  Esq.,  who  is  39  years  of  age, 
5  ft.  J/Q  high,  weighs  210  Ibs.,  and  very  remarkable  for  vital  power,  broke  with  1573 
grains. 

That  the  strength  of  the  filament  does  not  depend  upon  the  size  and  weight  of  the 
animal,  unless  they  are  accompanied  with  a  corresponding  vital  power,  would  appear  from 
the  following  experiments  : 

One  inch  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  the  Quaker  Giantess,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hales,  who  is 
nearly  eight  feet  high,  and  weighs  337  pounds,  broke  with  200  grains  less  than  Mr. 
Swain,  say  1373.  And  one  inch  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  her  husband,  Robert  Hales,  the 
Quaker  Giant,  who  is  29  years  of  age,  weighs  508  pounds,  and  measures  eight  feet,  broke 
with  250  grains  less  than  Mr.  Swain,  say  1323. 

That  the  strength  of  the  integument  does  not  depend  entirely  upon  the  diameter  of  the 
filament,  is  also  apparent  from  the  examination  of  the  hair  of  the  head  of  Professor  Silli- 
man.  One  inch  of  his  hair,  taken  when  he  was  iJO  years  old,  and  in  the  full  vigor  of 
manhood,  broke  with  1820  grains.  But  one  inch  taken  in  the  year  1848,  when  he  was  in 
the  neighborhood  of  70,  broke  with  1370.  Besides  which,  the  actual  diameters  of  the  hairs 
upon  which  the  above  mentioned  six  experiments  were  made,  did  not  correspond  with  their 
strength,  for  the  hair  of  A.  S.,  is  ^-T  of  an  inch;  that  of  J.  K.  M.  Tfg  of  an  inch.  Mr. 
Swain's  is  g^  of  an  inch.  Elizabeth  Hales'  is  5^T  of  an  inch.  Robert  Hales'  is  ^{^  of 
an  inch,  and  Prof.  Silliman's  is  from  -2-^  to  ^fT  of  an  inch.  We  have  also  compared  the 


The  elasticity  is  the  test  of  softness  of  wool. 


150  TKICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM: 

diameters  of  the  hair  of  the  head  with  the  strength  of  it,  in  a  few  cases  of  diseases,  of 
which  the  following  are  the  results,  viz : 

1.  Last  stage  of  Coxalgia,  15  months,  female,  diameter  ¥]-^,  broke  with  920  grains. 

2.  Scrofula,  (caries,)  "  "  "          ^fa     "         "      770     " 

3.  Phthisis,  male,  ^     "         "   1,220     " 

4.  Advanced  Phthisis,  (cavernis,)  "  "          ¥|Y     "          "      820     " 

5.  Chronic  Pleurisy,  (extensive  effusion,)  male,  "          ^-|T     "         "   1,270     " 

6.  African  Fever,  white,  "          ^-y     "         "      820     " 
Nor  does  the  strength  of  fleece  depend  entirely  upon  the  diameter  of  the  filament,  for 

1.  A  filament  of  full  blood  Saxony,  from  Saxony,  whose  diam.  was  ?-JT  of  an  inch,  broke  with 

54  grains. 

2.  "         "  "  "       of  U.  States,         "  "       T7LT          «         74      " 

3.  "          "     \        "  "  "          "  "  "        _I_t  _          "        164      " 

4.  "          "     \        "  "  "  T£T  144       " 

fi  "  "       A  "  "  "  "  "  "  1  "          99/1         " 

°-  T  2"  u  U 

6.         "         "     Southdown,  "  "  "       T^7          "       184      " 

From  all  which  we  deem  ourselves  warranted  in  inferring,  that  the  strength  of  pile 
depends,  in  a  great  measure,  upon  the  vital  power  of  the  animal  upon  whom  it  grows,  from 
which  we  deduce  the  following  corollary,  viz:  that  the  breeder  of  Sheep,  who  would 
require  strong  fleece,  must,  by  attention  to  their  food,  cleanliness,  and  preservation  from 
inclemencies  of  weather,  endeavor  to  preserve,  and,  if  possible,  increase  their  VITAL  POWER. 
A  feeble  Sheep  cannot  produce  a  strong  wool ;  it  is  contrary  to  principle  as  well  as  our 
experiments,  and  must  not  be  anticipated. 

Combe,  on  the  duration  of  human  life,  from  tables  of  mortality  in  Edinburg,  shows  that 
what  he  calls  the  gentry  (by  which  he  means  the  cla^s  between  the  nobility  and  the  arti- 
sans) have  a  mesne  average  age  of  43^  years;  while  artisans,  laborers  and  servants,  have 
an  average  age  of  only  27s  years;  and  we  think  that  the  reason  of  this  disparity  is  1o  IK- 
traced,  mainly,  to  premature  loss  of  vital  power  by  the  reckless  among  the  second  class — 
which  loss  would  doxibtless,  by  careful  experiments,  be  discovered  in  their  hair.  The 
American  Sheep  breeder  should  have  none  but  gentry  in  his  flock. 

OF  THE  FINENESS  OF  FLEECE. — We  entertain  the  opinion,  that  even  the  fineness  of 
fleece  may  be  increased  by  continued  care  and  attention;  good,  wholesome  food,  in  suffi 
cient  quantity — preservation  from  the  inclemencies,  and  particularly  from  the  sudden 
changes,  of  the  weather — and  cleanliness ;  these  are  the  means  by  which  the  integuments 
may  be  improved  in  fineness,  as  well  as  in  other  useful  qualities;  while  starvation  and 
exposure  to  cold,  sudden  changes,  dampness  and  filth  will,  in  time,  show  its  effects  in  a 
contrary  direction. 

In  turning  over  the  leaves  of  our  book,  which  contains  "locks  of  the  hair  of  the  heads 
of  distinguished  individuals,"  every  one  is  struck  with  the  fineness,  the  softness,  and 
the  lustre  of  a  large  majority  of  the  specimens,  when  contrasted  with  our  collection  ol 
hair  of  the  inmates  of  the  alms-houses  and  hospitals,  i.  e.,  of  the  unintelligent  and  reckless, 
who  have  been  in  the  habit  of  living  uncomfortably  Fiom  our  examination  of  the  pile 


Oil,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE. 


101 


of  the  lower  animals,  we  entertain  no  doubt  but  that  the  rule  extends  to  them.  We 
recollect  having  heard  the  late  much-respected  Samuel  Coats  (who  was  one  of  the  founders, 
and  for  many  years  one  of  the  managers,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,)  say,  that  at  one 
time  they  kept  a  few  hogs  in  the  yard  of  that  Institution,  and  that,  in  order  to  avoid  ihe 
disagreeable  effhivia  generally  arising  from  such  animals  and  their  pens,  he  had  them  both 
well  scrubbed  every  morning,  and  that  the  hogs'  hair  became  fine,  soft  and  lustrous. 
And  we,  with  confidence,  refer  the  intelligent  reader  to  the  history  of  Cattle  and  Sheep 
raising  and  breeding  in  every  country  where  they  have  attained  any  celebrity,  for  the  fact 
that  success  depends  much  upon  the  knowledge,  the  care,  and  the  perseverance  of  the 
farmer.  Bakewell,  in  1789,  was  in  the  receipt  of  3,000  guineas  a  year  for  the  hire  of 
rams,  and  seven  of  them  sold  for  2,000  guineas  !  But  this  was  the  result  of  unremitted 
care  and  attention  to  his  flock  for  a  long  series  of  years.  He  commenced  his  experiments 
upon  the  old  Leicester  breed,  and  he  continued  them,  without  any  crossing  whatever,  end- 
ing with  the  new  Leicesters,  of  the  value  above  mentioned.  He  paid  too  little  attention 
to  the  wool,  as  we  will  hereafter  notice;  but,  in  other  respects,  his  experiments  were 
crowned  with  complete  success. 

SOFTNESS  OF  STAPLE. — There  is  a  delicate,  silky,  highly  elastic  feeling  in  wool  that  is 
very  desirable.  This  softness  of  texture  is  usually  judged  by  passing  it  through  the 
fingers  or  over  the  inside  of  the  lips,  but  may  be  determined  with  the  trichometer,  it  agree- 
ing with  the  ductility  and  elasticity  of  the  filament.  The  more  ductile  and  elastic  the 
filament,  the  softer  the  wool ;  and  the  degree  of  ductility  and  elasticity  can  be  measured 
with  the  utmost  minuteness  and  certainty  with  the  above  named  instrument. 

OF  BREEDING  AND  RAISING  SwiNE  FOR  THE  BRISTLES. The  following  is  a 

Statement  of  the  quantity  and  value  of  Bristles  imported  annually  into  the   United  States, 
from  the   \st  October,  1842,  to  the  30th  June,  1849. 


YEARS. 

QUANTITY. 

VALUE. 

Pounds. 

Dollars. 

Nine  months,  ending  30th  June,  1S43. 

26,695 

8,271 

Year  ending  30th  June,  1S44,      -     - 

190,638 

84,011 

"          "                       "       1845,      - 

343,218 

172,076 

"         "                      "       1846, 

445,725 

244.719 

«          «            «          «       1847,      -     - 

420,682 

191,473 

"          "            "          "       1848, 

4^5,661 

175,025 

"          "            "          "       1849,      -     - 

221,045 

88,265 

(Signed,)  M.  NOURSE,  Acfg  Reg. 

Treasury  Department,  Register's  Office,  Oct.  12,  1850. 

This  furnishes  an  average  of  380,264  Ibs.  per  annum,  worth  $174,311. 

Now,  if  the  United  States  were  incapable  of  producing  bristles  enough  for  her  own 
consumption,  or  if  she  was  unable  1o  furnish  them  of  qualities  adequate  to  her  wants,  there 
would  be  no  ground  of  complaint;  but,  by  a  reference  to  the  statistical  table  accompany- 
38 


152  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

ing  the  last  census,  it  will  be  seen  that  we  raise  swine  in  sufficient  numbers  to  supply 
bristles  for  our  own  wants,  leaving  a  large  balance  for  exportation.  How  is  it  as  to  the 
quality  of  these  tegumentary  appendages  ?  Upon  referring  to  the  table  of  dimensions  of 
eleven  varieties  of  bristle,  found  in  our  cabinet  of  pile,  the  specimens  from  Ohio 
measure  ^\  and  -fo  of  an  inch,  and  consequently  are  stouter  than  any  that  we  import; 
and  it  requires  to  fracture  one  inch  of  one  specimen  the  enormous  weight  of  35, 874  grains. 

It  is  true  that  the  Ohio  bristle  is  not  as  long  as  the  French,  but  it  is  an  indisputable 
fact  that  the  qualities  of  bristles  may  be  improved  by  breeding,  as  well  as  the  hair  and 
wool  of  Sheep,  if  proper  means  are  resorted  to  by  our  agriculturists;  and  this,  too,  with- 
out injuring  the  quality  of  the  meat. 

We  therefore  earnestly  recommend  the  improvement  of  our  bristles,  feeling  perfectly 
certain  that  our  farmers  and  planters  will  not  find  reason  to  regret  taking  the  advice. 


(\ 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PLATE    I. 


THE     WOOLLY    3  H  E  g  p. 


Vig.  100. 


T  "  K     It  A  I  R  V     s  II  E  E  !•. 


(9) 


OK,  A  TUEATISK  OX  1'ILE. 


CHAPTER     IX. 

OF  THE  RAISING  AND  BREEDING  OF  SHEEP. — Breeding  and  raising  domestic  animals 
includes,  not  only  the  multiplication  of  individuals,  but  the  preservation  and  improvement 
of  their  species,  so  as  to  ensure  some  desirable  end  ;  which  should  always  be  kept  fully  in 
view. 

The  design,  in  raising  Sheep,  should  be  to  produce,  with  the  least  trouble  and  expense, 
the  greatest  quantity  of  the  most  valuable  quality  of  fleece ;  and  when  this  is  done,  and 
then  only,  is  the  system  of  Sheep  breeding  perfect. 

We  are  aware  that  there  are  some  persons  who  consider  that  the  main  object  in  raising 
Sheep,  is  to  produce  fine  flesh,  for  food;  arid  that  others  entertain  the  opinion  that  wool 
and  carcass  are  of  equal  importance  and  equally  deserving  of  care  and  attention.  But  tve 
maintain  that  the  matter  which  ought  to  absorb  our  undivided  attention  is  the  Jleece,  and 
that  the  production  of  sufficiently  good  mutton  will  be  a  necessary  consequence. 

The  most  valuable  properties  of  fleece,  as  regards  its  usefulness  in  manufactures  and 
the  arts,  are  its  fineness,  its  ductility,  and  its  flexibility  and  elasticity,  (indicating  its  soft- 
ness,) its  strength,  and  either  its  capacity  to  felt  and  full  in  an  eminent  degree,  or  its  being 
free  from  shrinking.  Therefore,  the  greatest  perfection  in  Sheep  breeding  and  raising, 
consists,  in  being  able  to  produce  an  animal,  whose  wool  is  fine,  soft,  strong,  and  will  felt 
and  full  perfectly  ;  or  one,  whose  fleece  is  fine,  soft  and  strong  and  will  not  shrink.  And  ' 
we  propose  to  show  that  either  of  these  objects  can  be  effected,  in  different  regions  of  the 
United  States,  with  one  stock,  and  that  both  may  be  effected  with  two  slocks,  but  that  loth, 
cannot  be  done  effectually  and  permanently  with  one,  nor  in  the  same  region  of  this 
country. 

Upon  examining  the  above  mentioned  properties  of  fleece,  it  is  apparent  that,  inasmuch 
as  these  qualities  depend  upon  specific  differences  of  the  animals,  the  same  species  cannot, 
by  any  management  or  skill  of  the  breeder,  be  made  to  produce  wool  that  will  felt  and 
full,  and  fleece  that  will  not  shrink  ;  but  that  to  vary  the  peculiar  specific  properties  of 
either,  (within  the  range  of  the  specific  characteristics  of  each  species,)  is  more  or  less 
under  the  control  of  the  skilful  breeder.  For  instance,  the  diameter  of  wool,  taken  from 
animals  descended  from  the  same  parentage,  may  vary;  so  the  ductility  and  elasticity  of 
filament,  (and  consequently  the  softness  of  the  fleece,)  may  differ,  although  the  race  is 
identical ;  and  the  strength  of  the  fibres  is,  doubtless,  subject  to  the  same  law  ;  but  far 
different  is  the  case  with  the  property  of  felting,  fulling  and  shrinking,  which  depends 
upon  the  shape,  direction  and  inclination  of  the  filament,  and  these  upon  its  organization ; 
all  which  in  the  fleeces  that  will  felt,  full  and  shrink,  are  different  from  those  that  will  not. 
so  much  so,  that  we  have  ventured  to  call  the  one  "WOOL,"  and  the  other  "  HAIR,"  and  so 
they  are,  in  the  proper  understanding  of  those  terms,  for 


]54  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

1st.  Hair  is,  in  shape,  cylindrical  or  oval,  but  wool  is  eccentrically  elliptical  or 
flattened. 

2d.  The  direction  of  hair  is  either  straight,  flowing  or  curled;  but  wool  is  crisped  and 
frizzled,  and  sometimes  spirally  curled. 

3d.  Hair  issues  out  of  the  epidermis  at  an  acute  angle ;  but  wool  emerges  at  a  right 
angle. 

4th.  The  coloring  matter  of  &  perfect  hair  is  contained  in  a  central  canal ;  but  the  most 
perfect  wool  has  no  such  canal,  the  coloring  matter  being  disseminated  in  the  cortex,  or 
the  cortex  and  fibres. 

5th.  The  scales  of  the  cortex  of  hair  are  less  numerous  than  those  of  wool,  are  less 
pointed  and  smoother,  and  they  embrace  the  shaft  more  intimately  than  those  of  wool, 
causing  wool  to  felt  and  full,  while  hair  will  not  shrink. 

These  things  surprise,  on  account  of  their  novelty,  but  when  they  are  perfectly  under- 
stood, no  one  will  any  longer  marvel  why  we  say,  that  "there  are  two  species  of  Sheep." 
Let  us  then,  in  the  first  place,  examine  the  subject. 

OF  FELTS  AND  FELTING. — The  word  felt,  is  from  the  Saxon  "felt,"  from  "fel,"  the  hide 
or  skin  of  an  animal.  The  fabric  is  manufactured  from  wool  of  Sheep  or  other  animals, 
the  filaments  of  which  are  entangled  and  matted  together,  so  as,  without  spinning  or  weav- 
ing, to  form  a  compact  mass.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  felting  was  practised  at  a  very 
early  day.  It  is  true  that  the  first  impulse  of  uncivilized  mind  would  be,  to  cover  the 
body  with  the  skins  of  animals  rudely  stitched  together.* 

"Onto  Adam  also,  and  his  wife,  did  the  Lord  God  make  coats  of  skins,  and  clothed  them."     (Gen.,  ch.  3,  21. )f 

But  it  could  not  have  long  escaped  observation,  that  the  filaments  of  the  woolly  covering 
of  some  animals,  while  yet  growing  upon  their  bodies,  had  a  tendency  to  entangle  and 
mat;  and  this  natural  felting  was,  doubtless,  imitated  by  our  earliest  forefathers,  probably 
long  before  spinning  and  weaving  were  known. £ 

Travelers  tell  us  of  Tartars  manufacturing  tent-covers  and  tent-carpets,  by  spreading 
two  or  three  layers  of  wool  on  the  wet  ground,  and  treading  them  together,  making  a  felt. 
But  they  have  no  idea  of 

The  Felting  Property. — Notwithstanding  the  great  antiquity  of  felting,  and  the  great 
perfection  which  it  has  attained,  as  a  mechanical  and  manufacturing  art,  it  was  not  until 
very  recently,  comparatively,  that  the  property  in  the  filament  of  wool,  upon  which  it 
depends,  was  known,  or  even  suspected.  Experience  taught  that  hair  would  not  felt  and 
that  wool  would ;  and,  from  the  same  great  teacher,  it  was  learned  that  among  the  last 
mentioned  integuments  there  were  various  degrees  of  this  matting  and  mass-making 
power,  it  requiring  more  matting  power  to  felt  than  to  full ;  but  to  explain  the  cause,  or 


*  The  Stare  Indians,  occupying  the  valley  of  the  River  MeKinzie,  are  clothed  in  rabbit  skins  tagged  together.  (U.  S. 
Exploring  Expedition.) 

t  And  see  Lucretius,  Ixi.,  v.  1011. 

{  Yet  weaving  seems  to  have  been  known  in  the  time  of  Job,  for  he  says,  "  my  day's  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle." 
(\iii.6.) 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  155 

describe  the  modus  operandi,  the  learned  and  the  unlearned  were  equally  at  fault.  The 
skilful  operator  has  a  mass  of  wool,  which,  with  his  magic  bow,  he  has  formed  into  the 
desired  shape  ;  this  fleece.  "  light  as  the  thistle-down  that  floats  on  the  air,"  with  no  other 
agency  than  a  damp  linen  cloth,  and  the  pressure  of  his  hands,*  he,  in  a  few  moments, 
transforms  into  a  firm  cloth  or  felt ;  but  neither  he,  nor  the  scientific  looker-on,  could 
explain  the  phenomenon.  At  length  a  filament  of  wool  was  placed  under  the  microscope, 

and  THE   MYSTERY  WAS  REVEALED. f 

It  is  the  scales  of  the  cortex  of  pile  that  cause  the  filaments  to  felt.  They  are  circularly 
disposed.  Upon  hair  they  are  less  numerous,  smoother,  rounder  at  the  point,  and  embrace 
the  stalk  more  intimately ;  upon  wool  they  are  more  numerous,  rougher,  sharper  at  the 
point,  and  at  their  anterior  extremities  stand  a  little  out  from  the  shaft. 

The  scales  from  the  different  wools  should  be  drawn,  described  and  classified  to  under- 
stand perfectly  their  felting  power. 

The  first  attempt  to  count  the  number  of  these  scales  was  made  by  Mr.  Youatt.  He 
found  upon  a  filament  of  Anglo-Merino  wool,  2,400  to  a  linear  inch. 

Let  us  here  pause  for  reflection.  If  one  inch,  in  length,  of  this  wool  has  2,400  scales, 
and  it  is  (as  Mr.  Youatt  tells  us)  in  diameter  y^  of  an  inch,  there  are,  upon  the  whole 
area  of  its  contour,  23,040  scales,  ever  ready  to  hook  and  fasten  into  as  many  to  be  found 
upon  every  similar  inch  of  filament  with  which  it  comes  in  contact  !j  Mr.  Youatt  after- 
wards counted  the  scales  of  other  wools,  from  the  result  of  which  we  have  made  the 
following-  table : — 


No. 

1. 

Saxony,  - 

2,720  scales  on  an  inch  in  length. 

it 

2. 

Lord  Weston's  Merino,  picklock, 

2,560 

tt 

t<                                tt 

tt 

3. 

Ryeland,  Herefordshire, 

2,420 

tt 

tl                               tl 

a 

4. 

Lord  Weston's,  (common,) 

2,400 

tt 

It                               tl 

it 

4. 

Australasian,  M'Arthur's, 

2,400 

tl 

It                               tl 

ft 

5. 

Southdown, 

2,080 

tt 

tt                               tl 

it 

5. 

Odessa, 

2,080 

it 

It                                11 

ft 

5. 

New  South  Wales, 

2,080 

tt 

tt                               11 

tt 

5. 

Southdown,  picklock,  - 

2,080 

ti 

tl                               tl 

tt 

6. 

Australasian,    - 

1,920 

tl 

It                      tl 

I  i 

6. 

Irish  Long  Wool, 

1,920 

tt 

It                   tt 

(1 

7. 

Leicester, 

1,860 

It 

t.                 It 

u 

8. 

Norfolk, 

1,600 

tt 

tt                      tl 

*  The  nitrate  of  mercury  is  sometimes  used  to  facilitate  the  felting. 

t  In  an  article  published  in  the  Plough,  the  Loom  and  the  Anvil,  for  1850,  we  have  given  a  history  of  the  discovery  of  the 
cause  of  felting,  and  endeavored  to  do  justice  to  the  memories  of  those  concerned  in  its  discovery. 

J  The  following  calculation  was  made  for  us  by  Ferdinand  Hubbel,  Esq.  There  are  2,400  points  (which  are  the  edges  of 
scales)  upon  one  inch  in  length  of  Merino  wool — assuming  it  to  be  of  the  same  circumference,  there  were  2,400  in  the 
contour,  and  multiplying  2,400  by  itself,  will  give  5,760,000  for  the  number  of  points  on  the  one  inch  of  cylinder.  But  the 
filament  has  a  diameter  of  only  y-j^  of  an  inch — 7.22  ?is:  :0,004=-T^5o==2T7' 

Divide  5,760,000  by  250,  and  you  will  have  23,040  for  the  number  of  scales  upon  one  inch  in  length  of  a  filament  of  wool 
that  has  a  diameter  of  TJJ  of  an  inch. 


156  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALTUM; 

No.  8.     Wallachian,  -     1,600  scales  on  an  inch  in  length. 

"     9.     East  India  Deccan,  1,280      " 

"     9.     Lincoln,  1,280      " 

"  10.     Van  Diemen's  Land,  being  slight  and  indistinct,  were  not  counted. 
We  must  next  speak 

OF  THE  SHAPE  AND  POSITION  OF  THE  SCALES. — It  will  be  obvious,  that  besides  the 
number  of  the  scales,  Iheir  shapes  and  their  positions  upon  the  shaft  may  materially 
influence  the  felting  power ;  for  if  the  scales  (although  numerous)  are  smooth,  rounded 
at  their  anterior  extremities,  and  they  adhere  to  the  shaft,  they  will  be  less  likely  to  entangle 
and  mat  together  than  under  opposite  circumstances.  Hence  the  necessity  of  examining 
them  under  a  microscope  of  high  power,  and  of  depicting  and  describing  them,  as  pro- 
posed to  be  done. 

OF  FULLING. — Wool,  while  being  manufactured  into  cloth,  is  not  felted,  but  scribbled,* 
carded,  spun,  wove,  and  then  fulled ;  the  latter  process  consisting  in  causing  the  filaments 
of  fleece  (after  having  undergone  all  the  other  operations  above  enumerated)  to  entangle 
and  mat  together,  thereby  giving  more  compactness  to  the  fabric. 

It  must  be  obvious  that  the  same  property  in  wool  that  causes  it  to  felt,  must  also  cause 
it  to  full.  But  there  is  another  peculiarity  in  wool  which  is  auxiliary  to  boih  these  pro- 
cesses, namely,  its  tendency  to  form  spiral  curls,  w7hich  must  now  be  explained. 

OF  SPIRAL  CURLS. — It  is  one  of  the  consequences  of  the  eccentrically  elliptical  shape  of 
wool  to  form  these  curls.  If  a  filament  of  Merino  or  Saxony  wool  be  separated  from  the 
rest,  it  will  be  found  to  be  contracted  into  these  curls.  If  it  is  extended  until  it  is  straight, 
and  then  set  at  liberty,  it  will,  spontaneously,  return  to  its  original  spirally-curled  condition. 
Now  it  is  easy  to  conceive,  that  filaments  in  this  spirally-curled  state  are  more  likely  to 
entangle  and  mat  together  than  they  would  have  been  were  they  straight,  or  even  undu- 
lated. But,  preliminary  to  spinning,  the  wool  has  (as  above  stated)  to  undergo  the  operations 
of  scribbling  and  carding,  by  which  these  curled  filaments  are  broken  into  minute  curves  or 
sections  of  rings,  and  these  interlock  still  more  than  the  entire  spiral  curls,  as  will  be 
obvious  to  the  reader;  for  these  curves  and  sections  of  rings,  having  been  tossed  about  in 
every  direction  by  the  scribbling  machine  and  cards,  will  present  to  the  points  of  each 
other's  scales  opposite  points  of  their  own,  which  will  be  much  more  likely  to  interlock 
than  when,  on  the  unbroken  filament,  their  points  were  all  in  one  direction.  Let  us 
endeavor  to  make  this  still  more  plain  by  the  aid  of  diagrams.  (See  fig.  98,  a  and  b.) 

Suppose  A  and  B  to  be  spirally-curled  filaments  of  wool,  presented  to  each  other,  root 
to  point.  The  points  of  the  scales  being  in  opposite  directions,  confer  a  tendency  to  inter- 


*  The  scribbler  consists  of  a  large  number  of  wooden  cylinders,  placed  horizontally  on  a  frame,  almost  touching  each 
other,  with  small  cylinders  placed  above  them.  The  cylinders  are  covered  with  iron  teeth,  which,  as  they  revolve  in  different 
directions,  tear  the  wool  into  minute  portions.  After  having  been  transferred  from  cylinder  to  cylinder,  the  wool  is  finally 
thrown  off  in  a  flake.  It  is  then  carded. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  157 

lock.  Now  suppose  these  two  spirally-curled  filaments  to  be  broken  into  curves  and 
sections  of  rings,  by  the  scribbling  machine  and  cards,  at  the  places  indicated  by  the 
horizontal  lines  upon  the  figure  A,  B,  the  tendency  to  entangle  is,  in  the  first  place, 
increased  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  these  curves  or  sections  of  rings.  But  suppose, 
again,  that  these  curves  and  sections  of  rings  are  presented  to  each  other  (as  they  will  be 
after  the  wool  is  scribbled  and  carded)  in  the  opposite  direction  of  the  points  of  their 
scales,  as  represented  in  the  figure  C,  D,  the  tendency  to  entangle,  and  the  mass  to  mat, 
will  be  still  further  increased,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  curves  or  sections  of  rings 
that  are  thus  oppositely  presented. 

From  all  which  we  learn,  that  although  the  scales  are  the  principal  cause  of  felting  and 
fulling,  yet  that  they  receive  considerable  aid  from  the  spiral  curls. 

Having  discussed  so  much  at  length  the  properties  of  the  wool  that  will  felt  and  full,  it 
now  becomes  us  to  say  a  few  words  respecting 

THE  FLEECE  FOR  MANUFACTURING  ARTICLES  THAT  WILL  NOT  SHRINK. — Fleece  that  will 
not  shrink,  or  will  not  do  so  in  an  appreciable  degree,  is  exceedingly  valuable  for  the 
manufacture  of  flannel,  worsted,*  blankets,  hose,  &c.,  &c.  Now  we  are  to  understand 
that  "-shrinking"  (which  is  defined  to  be  "the  contracting  into  a  smaller  space")  is  only 
another  word  for  "fulling,"  since  it  depends  for  its  operations  upon  precisely  the  same 
properties  of  the  fleece. f  If  wool,  possessing  the  felting  property,  be  manufactured  into 
doth,  all  but  the  f  idling,  it,  will  afterwards,  when  used  and  washed,  shrink.  And  so  will 
flannel,  if  made  from  the  same  material.  On  the  other  hand,  cloth  which  is  made  from  a 
fleece  which  has  no  felting  property,  will  not  full,  and  the  only  way  to  obtain  Jlannel,  fa., 
which  will  not  shrink,  is  to  use  that  material.  This  is  correct  in  theory,  and  will  hold 
equally  good  in  practice,  as  any  one  will  discover  who  will  try  the  experiment ;  so  that 
nothing  further  remains  to  be  known  but  whether  the  sheep-breeder  can,  at  pleasure,  pro- 
duce one  fleece  that  will  felt  and  full,  and  another  fleece  that  will  not  shrink;  and  this 
question  we  propose  now  to  discuss. 

OF  SHEEP. — Wool  grows  upon  a  great  many  animals;  but  our  chief  supply  is  obtained 
from  the  Sheep. 

Sheep  (Ovis,  O.  6,  "  Pecora"  of  Lin.,)  belong  to  the  tribe  of  hollow  horns,  of  the  order 
KUMINANTIA,  and  are  distinguished  from  the  Goat,  principally,  by  the  direction  of  the 
horns. 

We  will  not  consume  time  by  enumerating  the  different  kinds  of  Sheep  mentioned  in 
books,  nor  by  noticing  the  vain  endeavors  that  have  been  made  to  refer  all  the  domesticated 
varieties  to  some  wild  species.  They  were  domesticated  as  early  as  the  time  of  Abel — 

*  Worsted  is  a  thread  spun  of  fleece  that  has  been  combed,  and  which,  in  the  spinning,  is  twisted  harder  than  ordinarily. 
Formerly  it  was  chiefly  used  to  be  woven  into  stockings,  caps,  gloves,  &c.  The  name  is  derived  from  that  of  the  town  in 
England  where  it  was  first  manufactured.  (See  Slater's  Memoir,  appt.,  p.  440,  where  will  be  found  some  excellent  remarks 
upon  the  manufacture  of  worsted. 

t  The  degree  may  vary. 


158  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM  ; 

for  he  was  "o  keeper  of  Sheep;"  but  there  were  no  doubt  wild  ones  ever  since,  and  even 
are  at  the  present  day,  if  we  believe  travelers. 

OF  THE  TWO  SPECIES  OF  SHEEP. — It  is  very  evident  to  us  that  there  are  two  distinct 
species  of  Sheep,  viz: — 

1st.   The  HAIRY  Sheep,  and 

2d.   The  WOOLLY  Sheep. 

The  hairy  Sheep  (when  perfect)  has  no  wool,  and  the  woolly  Sheep  (when  perfect)  has 
not  a  hair  on  it.  We  have  already  described  hair  and  wool,  and  shown  how  the  latter  is 
admirably  calculated  for  the  manufacture  of  felts  and  all  cloths  which  are  required  to  full, 
and  the  former  to  the  manufacture  of  flannel,  worsted,  blankets,  hose,  and  all  articles  that 
are  required  not  to  shrink. 

The  fleece  of  the  hairy  Sheep  has  sometimes  been  called  "  long  wool,"  and  that  of  the 
woolly  Sheep  "short  wool;"  but  the  truth  is,  that  the  former  is  not  wool  at  all,  arid  these 
"long"  and  "short"  names  should  be  discontinued,  being  calculated  to  mislead. 

In  the  manufacture  of  fabrics  that  are  required  not  to  shrink,  the  hair  should  be  combed 
and  spun,  but  never  scribbled  nor  carded.  The  object  of  this  is  to  preserve  the  same 
direction  of  filaments  that  they  had  on  the  back  of  the  animal,  when  the  scales  are  not 
opposed  to  each  other,  and  whence  they  have  no  tendency  to  entangle,  even  should  they 
become  loose. 

But  it  will  be  objected  that  there  are  Sheep  that  have  on  them  both  hair  and  wool.  We 
admit  it,  and  shall  now  proceed  to  show  that  the  existence  of  such  mongrels  is  no  objection 
whatever  to  our  division  into  two  pure  species.  But  as  the  discussion  of  this  point  involves 
nearly  the  whole  art  of  sheep-breeding,  it  is  time  that  we  should  reduce  what  we  have  to 
say  to  order. 

RULE. — THE  SHEEP-BREEDER  SHOULD  NEVER  CROSS  THE  TWO  SPECIES  OF  SHEEP,  viz: 
THE  HAIRY  SHEEP  AND  THE  WOOLLY  SHEEP. — This  is  the  most  important  direction  we 
have  to  give — it  is  the  golden  rule — the  primatus  principatus — a  rule,  the  more  necessary  to 
be  dwelt  upon,  as  its  adverse  has  been  countenanced  by  authority,  and  has  been  acted  upon 
by  those  whose  example  has  been  deemed  worthy  of  being  followed.  Its  discussion 
divides  into  two  questions,  viz : — 

1  st.  Whether  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the  woolly  Sheep  really  belong  to  two  distinct  species  ? 
and 

2J.  Whether,  by  the  amalgamation  of  two  distinct  species  of  animals,  a  permanent,  self- 
supporting  race,  possessing  equally  the  properties  of  both  parents,  can  be  produced? 

The  learned  have  not  always  agreed  upon  a  definition  of  the  term  "species."  On  the 
contrary,  it  has  been  used  in  different  senses,  according  to  the  mode  or  subject,  whether 
literary,  popularly,  logically,  or  zoologically  and  physiologically.  In  its  zoological  and 
physiological  meaning,  it  is  (according  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Smith)  "  a  fixed  principle, 
founded  upon  the  indefinite  varieties  of  which  animal  life  is  capable."  In  regard  to  proof ", 
he  considers  common  parentage  as  the  best  evidence  which  the  nature  of  the  case  admits; 
but  as  this  cannot  always  be  traced,  he  does  not  exclude  other  proof. 


OK,  A  TKKAT1SE  ON  PI  I.E.  159 

We  acknowledge  that  we  prefer  the  definitions  of  species  given  respectively  by  Van 
Amringe  and  Mills;  but  we  do  not  think  that  it  would  be  hazarding  too  much  to  affirm, 
that  under  almost  any  other  definition  of  it,  to  be  found  in  the  books,  the  modification  of 
an  animal  from  being  entirely  covered  with  hair  to  being  entirely  covered  with  wool,  when 
permanently  native  in  its  race,  is  sufficient  ground  for  a  specific  distinction. 

That  this  is  the  case  with  the  most  perfect  kind  of  animal  known,  we  think  we  have 
proven  in  "  The  Classification  of  Mankind  by  the  Hair  and  Wool  of  their  Heads,"  to  which 
we  refer;  and  if  we  have,  the  argument  from  analogy,  in  regard  to  the  two  species  of  Sheep, 
is  irresistible;  but  even  if  it  shall  not  be  conceded  that  we  have  heretofore  shown,  by  tl.e 
hair  and  wool,  that  man  is  not  confined  to  one  species,  we  shall  contend,  and  shall  endea- 
vor to  prove,  that  there  are  two  species  of  Sheep. 

"  Species  (says  Van  Amringe)  is  a  constitutional  organization  in  a  race  of  animals,  pro- 
ducing a  similarity  of  functions,  in  which  they  agree  with  all  animals  of  the  same  genus 
in  generic  character;  but  differ  from  races  of  the  same  genus,  in  modifications  of  generic 
character,  in  regard  to  form,  color,  instincts,  or  intellectual  power,  and  which  we  have 
good  reason  to  believe  to  be  permanently  native  in  the  race." 

Now,  in  considering  the  permanent  modifications  of  generic  character,  as  regards  form, 
let  us  see  whether  naturalists,  generally,  have  not  been  influenced  by  discrepancies  of  a 
much  less  decided  character  than  those  which  distinguish  the  hairy  Sheep  from  the  woolly 
Sheep. 

The  general  similitude  between  the  Horse  and  the  Ass  is  very  striking,  the  difference 
between  them  (if  we  throw  out  of  view  a  discrepancy  in  the  dimensions  of  the  head  and 
ears)  consisting  in  the  color  and  marking  of  the  pile  ;  yet  where  is  the  naturalist  who  has 
put  them  in  the  same  species  ? 

The  Zebra,  which  has  pretty  much  the  same  form  as  the  Horse  and  the  Ass,  is  placed 
in  another  species,  on  account  of  the  singular  disposition  of  the  colors  of  his  hair. 
("Equus  lineis  transversis  versicolor.") 

The  Quagga,  the  Onagga,  and  the  Dziggtai,  between  whom  and  the  Horse  and  the  Ass 
there  exists  still  slighter  shades  of  difference,  are  all  considered  as  distinct  species. 

The  two  species  of  Camel  are  distinguished  by  the  first  having  one,  and  the  second 
having  two  humps  on  the  back,  and  they  are  never  placed  together.* 

There  are  two  species  of  Rhinoceros,  o.ne  having  one,  and  the  other  having  two  horns. 

There  are  several  species  of  Deer-kind,  which  are  known  mainly  by  the  difference  in 
the  horns. 

Some  species  of  Monkey  are  distinguished  by  the  presence,  and  others  by  the  absence  of 
the  tail. 

Sloths  are  separated  into  species  by  the  number  of  their  toes. 

And  in  Peru  there  are  twTo  species  of  Lizard,  the  only  difference  between  which  is,  that 
the  one  has  an  orifice  in  the  thighs  for  the  passage  of  a  gland,  which  the  other  has  not. 

*  There  are  two  species  of  Carabou,  (Tarandus  aroticus  and  T.  hastalis,)  the  difference  between  them  (according  to  Prof. 
Baird)  consisting  in  size,  difference  and  dimensions  of  the  antlers,  the  existence  of  a  gall-bladder  found  in  one  and  not  in 
the  other,  and  different  geographical  distribution.  (Sec  Patent  Office  Keport  uf  1851,  p.  105.) 

40 


160  TKICIIOLOG1A  MAMMALICM; 

Why,  then,  hesitate  to  acknowledge  two  species  of  Sheep,  (lie  race  of  one  of  which  is 
permanently  covered  with  hair,  and  that  of  the  other  as  permanently  covered  with  wool! 
Especially  if,  as  has  been  shown,  the  difference  between  these  integuments  is  not 
merely  one  of  color  and  marking,  (as  in  the  cases  of  the  Horse  and  the  Ass,  and  the  Hor?e 
and  the  Ass  and  the  Zebra,)  but  where  the  shape,  direction  and  inclination  of  the  pile  is 
different — where  the  disposition  of  the  coloring  matter  is  remarkably  different;  and,  above 
all,  where  the  number,  shape,  position  and  mode  of  adherence  of  the  scales  of  the  cortex 
are  so  entirely  different  as  to  render  the  one  altogether  unfit  for  felting  and  fulling,  and 
not  liable  to  shrink,  while  the  other  is  admirably  adapted  to  felting  and  fulling,  and  liable 
to  shrink.  Take  all  these  things  into  consideration,  and  then  say  whether  there  is  not,  at 
least,  as  much  ground  for  believing  these  two  animals  to  constitute  two  species,  as  there 
exists  in  regard  to  the  unity  or  plurality  of  the  humps  of  the  Camel,  or  of  the  horns  of 
the  Rhinoceros.  And  then,  again,  remember  that,  to  establish  this  modification,  there 
must  he  a  difference  of  organization — a  difference  in  the  functions  which  the  apparatus  of 
each  kind  have,  respectively,  to  perform;  for  instance,  the  fibres  and  cortex  of  the  wool, 
while  they  subserve  all  the  ordinary  purposes  which  they  do  in  hair,  are  also  the  medium 
of  conveyance  for  the  coloring  matter  of  the  former  integument,  while  that  of  the  latter 
flows  in  a  central  canal. 

"  Species  of  plants  (says  Mills)  are  not  only  real  kinds,  but  are,  probably,  all  of  them 
real  lowest  kinds,  or  infinae  species."  And  he  adds,  "I  say  probably,  (not  certainly,} 
because  this  is  not  the  consideration  by  which  the  botanist  determines  what  shall  or  shall 
not  be  admitted  as  a  species ;  but  which,  consistently  with  experience,  might  have  been 
produced  from  the  same  stock."* 

So  that,  in  the  present  instance,  (seeing  that  the  same  law  prevails  in  the  animal  com- 
monwealth,) where  the  inquiry  is  "  whether  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the  woolly  Sheep  are  or 
are  not  two  distinct  species?"  we  are  not  bound  to  show,  absolutely,  that  they  are 
descended  from  different  parentages ;  but  only  that,  consistently  with  experience,  they 
might  have  been  descended  from  different  parentages.  And  after  having  shown  the  diffe- 
rence between  hair  and  wool,  and  having  pointed  out  the  character  of  the  discrepancies 
upon  which  zoologists  have  been  in  the  habit  of  creating  species,  we  would  confidently 
inquire,  whether  any  naturalist  who  had  presented  to  him  two  newly -discovered  wild 
animals,  otherwise  alike,  but  one  of  which  had  always  produced  wool  and  the  other  one 
hair,  would  hesitate  to  consign  them  to  two  specific  departments?  And  if  he  would  not, 
then  why,  in  the  case  now  before  us,  should  we  allow  habit,  born  in  ignorance  and 
nurtured  in  stubborness,  to  prevail  over  the  dictates  of  reason  and  experience? 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  from  what  has  been  hitherto  said,  that  too  little  attention  has 
been  paid  to  the  laws  of  physiology,  for  we  do  not  believe,  that  the  zoological  and  physi- 
ological, and  even  the  embryological  meanings  of  the  word  species  materially  differ.  The 
author  last  cited  remarks  that,  "It  seems  to  be  a  law  of  physiology  that  animals  and  plants 

*  By  the  adoption  of  this  rule  uo  inconsistency  is  introduced,  for,  (as  this  learned  author  shows,)  this  distinction  in  most 
(and  probably  in  all)  cases  happily  accords  with  the  other. 


(IK,  A  TKEATISK  ON  PILE.  161 

do  really,  in  the  physiological  as  well  as  in  the  popular  sense,  propagate  the:r  kind,  trans- 
mitting to  their  descendants  all  the  distinctions  of  kind,  (down  to  the  most  special  and 
lowest  kind,)  which  they  themselves  possess."  Now  surely  one  of  "  the  distinctions  of 
kind,"  of  the  hairy  Sheep  is,  "  to  produce  hair"  and  one  of  "  the  distinctions  of  kind"  of 
the  woolly  Sheep  is,  "  to  produce  wool.'" 

In  like  manner,  Agassis,  (in  Prin.  of  Zool.  43,)  says,  "the  constancy  of  species  is  a 
phenomenon  depending  on  immaterial  nature.  Animals  (and  plants  also)  produce  their 
kind,  generation  after  generation.  We  shall  hereafter  show,  that  all  animals  may  I  e 
traced  back,  in  the  embryo,  to  a  mere  point  upon  the  yolk  of  the  egg,  bearing  no  resem- 
blance whatsoever  to  the  future  animal.  But  even  here  (he  adds)  an  immaterial  principle, 
which  no  external  influence  can  prevent,  or  modify,  is  present,  and  determines  its  future 
form,  so  that  the  egg  of  the  hen  can  produce  nothing  but  the  chicken,  and  the  egg  of  the 
codfish  can  produce  only  the  cod.  It  may,  therefore,  be  said  with  troth,  that  the  chicken 
and  the  cod  existed  in  the  egg  before  their  formation."  Now,  although  this  learned  author 
has  given  us  examples  drawn  from  two  classes  of  animals,  viz  :  the  chicken  and  the  fish. 
it  is  fair  to  presume  that  he  meant  his  observations  to  apply  to  animals  of  different  species 
but  of  the  same  class  and  order,  and  therefore,  that  the  hair  of  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the 
wool  of  the  woolly  Sheep  depends  upon  an  immaterial  principle,  which  no  external  influ- 
ence can  prevent  or  modify."  The  question  of  species,  is,  therefore,  one  of  fact,  and  Dr. 
Morton  was  right  when  he  said  that  "all  circumstances  which  tend  to  establish  analogies 
are  proper  and  necessary  for  the  determination."  We  admit,  that  where  common  parent- 
age can  be  traced,  with  certainty,  that  it  constitutes  the  best  evidence  that  the  nature  of 
the  case  admits;  but  he  who  would  reject  secondary  evidence,  when  primary  cannot  be 
obtained,  would  place  himself  in  the  position  of  one  who  would  shut  his  eyes  to  all  other 
light,  because  he  cannot  always  bask  in  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

Between  animals  of  the  same  species  nature  throws  no  impediment  whatever  to  free 
sexual  intercourse,  and  the  progeny  form  a  permanent,  self-supporting  race  of  animals 
which  inherit  equally  the  properties  of  both  parents.  But  with  animals  of  dijferent  species 
there  is  a  natural  abhorrence  to  amalgamate,  which  sometimes  cannot  be  overcome  at  all ; 
and  which  at  others  exhibits  itself  in  various  ways  and  in  various  degrees ;  and  the  progeny 
is  always  incapable  of  securing  a  permanent  and  self-supporting  race,  in  the  proper  sense 
of  those  terms.  This  is  a  most  valuable  rule  for  the  determination  of  species,  when 
properly  understood  and  correctly  applied ;  but  from  inattention  and  inadvertence,  it  has 
been  converted  into  a  fruitful  hot-bed  of  error,  as  will  be  hereafter  shown  in  the  proper 
place. 

The  common  Cow  and  the  Buffalo  have,  we  are  told,  a  natural  antipathy  to  each  other. 
Such  is  the  fixed  aversion  formed  between  these  creatures,  (as  we  are  informed  by  Gold- 
smith,) that  the  Cow  refuses  to  breed  with  the  European  Buffalo,  which  she  nearly 
resembles. 

Wild  Asses,  (as  we  are  told  by  the  same  beautiful  author,)  live  in  herds,  but  they  will 
not  allow  a  Horse  to  come  among  them ;  if,  perchance,  one  strays  into  the  boundary  of 
their  grazing  ground,  they  fall  upon  him,  and  without  even  giving  him  time  to  reireat, 
they  kick  and  bite  him  until  he  is  left  exhausted  on  the  spot. 


1(52  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

The  Babyroussa,  or  East  India  Hog,  is  often  seen  with  tha  Wild  Boar;  with  which, 
however,  he  is  never  known  to  engender.  And  the  Pecary  of  South  America,  although 
he  herds  with  the  Wild  Hog,  which  he  so  much  resembles,  has  never  been  known  to 
breed  with  him.  This  is  the  voice  of  Nature,  proclaiming  in  unmistakable  terms,  her 
abhorrence  of  the  amalgamation  of  SPECIES. 

How  is  it  where  man  exerts  the  powerful  influence  of  domestication?  Sometimes,  even 
here,  all  efforts  to  subvert  nature  are  abortive.  Buffon  for  three  years  kept  a  male  matin 
Dog  and  a  she  Wolf  together,  but  they  refused  to  have  any  intercourse.  Goldsmith  tells 
us  that  a  similar  experiment  was  tried  with  a  Fox  and  a  Dog,  with  the  same  result.  And 
the  Hare  and  the  Rabbit,  though  so  nearly  resembling  each  other  in  form  and  disposition, 
refuse  to  hold  any  communication.  Buffon  bred  up  several  of  both  kinds  together ;  but 
from  being  at  first  indifferent,  they  soon  became  enemies,  and  they  would  sometimes 
combat  until  one  was  disabled  or  destroyed. 

How  is  it  (it  may  be  asked)  with  the  Horse  and  the  Ass?  The  Mule,  (it  is  asserted,) 
may  be  engendered  by  mixing  either  a  Horse  and  a  she  Ass,  or  a  Jack  and  a  Mare. 
When  the  latter  method,  (which  is  the  one  preferred,)  is  resorted  1o,  a  Horse  is  used  as  a 
teaser;  and  before  the  Jack  is  brought  forward  the  Mare  is  hoodwinked!  Is  this  the  free 
sexual  intercourse,  spoken  of  in  the  rule  above  quoted  ?  But  we  have  another  question  to 
ask  in  regard  to  this  connection,  viz :  is  the  Mule  prolific  ?  Is  he  capable  of  continuing 
the  race  ? 

Goldsmith  says,  that  "from  the  great  resemblance  between  the  Horse  and  the  Ass,  one 
would  be  led  to  suppose  that  they  are  of  the  same  species;  that  the  Ass  was  only  a  degenerate 
Horse;  but  that  they  are  perfectly  distinct,  an  inseparable  line  having  been  drawn  between 
them."  He  adds  that  it  had  been  said  by  Aristotle,*  that  the  male  Mule  was  prolific,  but 
that  after  2000  years'  experience  this  assertion  had  been  modified.  That  others  had  said 
that  in  warm  cli mates,  female  Mules  are  prolific;  but  that,  upon  examining  the  cases,  it 
was  found  that  such  progeny  were  incapable  of  continuing  the  race. 

Fortunately  we  have  the  reports  of  two  cases  which  occurred  in  our  own  country, 
which,  as  they  are  exceedingly  interesting,  we  will  be  excused  for  giving  at  large: — 

"John  Thompson  Kilby,  of  Springhill,  Nancomond  county,  Virginia,  was  the  owner  of 
a  female  Mule,  which,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1834,  was  delivered  of  a  male  young  one. 
She  was  not  suspected  of  being  with  foal,  and  therefore  it  was  not  known  what  animal 
was  the  father;  but  suspicion  alighted  upon  a  three-year  old  Colt,  belonging  to  Mr.  Kilby, 
which  had  been  allowed  to  run  with  the  Mules  on  Sundays.  Also,  the  young  one 
resembled  the  Colt.  When  born,  it  was  very  lean,  but  its  mother,  although  she  had  a 
small  udder,  having  plenty  of  milk,  it  throve  pretty  well  until  the  20th  of  October,  in  the 
same  year,  when  (having  been  previously  weaned)  it  was  taken  sick  and  died,  of  lock-jaw, 
the  following  day." 

"Another  (female)  young  one  was  born  of  the  same  Mule,  on  the  same  plantation,  on 
the  13th  of  August,  1835,  and  died  on  the  26th  of  August,  1836,  after  having  been  sick 

*  He  died  322  years  B.  C. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  163 

two  or  three  days  only.  It  was  in  fine  order,  ran  with  its  mother  (who  was  doing  nothing) 
in  good  pasture.  "When  taken  sick,  had  every  medical  attention  paid  it;  but  it  was  found 
impossible  to  effect  a  passage  through  it,  and,  upon  a  post  mortem  examination,  all  the  food 
and  medicine  wras  found  in  the  stomach,  none  having  ever  passed  into  the  intestines." 

We  recollect  how,  at  the  times,  these  births  respectively  were  dwelt  upon  as  proving  the 
Mule  1o  be  prolific.  But  we  ask  the  intelligent  reader  whether  they  do  not  fall  far  short  of 
the  mark;  they  exhibit  no  ground  to  believe  that  such  progeny  can  ever  be  the  foundation 
of  a  permanent,  self-supporting  race,  which  (as  we  have  seen)  is  one  of  the  conditions  of 
the  rule  above  quoted. 

We  will  next  refer  to  some  cases  of  intercourse,  or  supposed  intercourse,  between  the 
Goat  and  the  Sheep,  premising  that,  although  the  evidence  in  these  cases  is  somewhat 
contradictory,  yet  that  its  weight  will  lead  us  to  a  similar  result. 

Smith  (in  Hist,  of  Man,  p.  117,)  says,  that  "Goats  and  Sheep  intermix,  producing  per- 
manently fertile  hybrids."*  But  Bellchambers  (in  a  note  to  Goldsmith's  Nat.  Hist,  of 
Man,  &c.,  p.  245,)  qualifies  the  above  broad  assertion  as  follows :  "  The  Sheep  and  the 
Goat  propagate — the  buck  Goat  is  found  to  produce,  with  the  ewe,  an  animal  which,  in 
two  or  three  generations,  returns  to  the  Sheep,  and  seems  to  retain  no  mark  of  its  ancient 
progenitor."  Where  is  the  permanence  ? 

How  the  breeding  goes  on  during  these  "  two  or  three  generations"  we  are  not  informed; 
but  we  take  it  for  granted  lhat  the  progeny  is  bred  towards  the  Sheep.  Surely  no  one 
would  pretend,  from  this  evidence,  to  aver  that  such  hybrids  were  permanently  fertile, 
much  less  that  they  constitute  a  self-supporting  race  ! 

Now  let  us  see  what  the  author  of  Illustrations  of  Natural  History,  (p.  151,)  with  all 
these  remarks  before  him,  has  to  say  upon  the  subject.  "Although  the  Goat  is  a  distinct 
species,  and  possibly  further  removed  from  the  Sheep  than  the  Horse  is  from  the  Ass,  yet 
the  buck  will  propagate  with  the  ewe.  But,  although  these  intercourses  happen  very  fre- 
quently, and  are  sometimes  prolific,  yet  no  intermediate  species  has  ever  been  formed 
between  them.  *  *  *  No  new  or  middle  race  has  arisen  therefrom." 

It  seems,  then,  that  all  that  we  know  with  certainty  is,  that  the  Goat  and  the  Sheep,  in 
their  domestic  state,  frequently  have  intercourse,  and  not  that  they  have  "free  intercourse," 
as  exists  between  members  of  the  same  species — that  this  intercourse  is  "sometimes"  (not 
uniformly)  prolific — and  that  here  propagation,  per  se,  ends;  if  you  desire  to  continue  the 
progeny,  you  must  call  in  the  aid  of  an  animal  belonging  to  the  original  parents. 

And  even  this  breeding  is  somewhat  doubtful,  for  one  of  our  correspondents,  namely, 
Mr.  Samuel  Patterson,  of  Patterson's  Mills,  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  a  letter 
to  us  upon  this  subject,  says:  "  I  have  made  inquiry,  but  have  heard  of  no  case  of  inter- 
course between  the  Sheep  and  the  Goat  being  prolific.  I  have  tried  the  experiment  to 
some  extent,  myself,  with  the  Goat  and  the  ewe,  but  without  production.  I  have  never 
seen  the  ram  having  intercourse  with  the  she  Goat,  although  I  have  had  them  running 
together  at  tupping  time.  Mr.  Plummer,  a  neighbor  of  mine,  has  made  the  experi- 

*  There  is  no  permanently  fertile  Jiylrids. 
41 


164  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM  : 

ment  more  fully  than  I  have,  but  with  the  same  result.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  the 
fine  woolled  Sheep  [the  woolly  Sheep]  and  the  Goat  will  not  mix.  I  know  of  no  case 
where  it  has  been  tried  with  the  coarse  hairy  Sheep." 

From  all  that  has  been  said,  we  feel  warranted  in  believing  that  the  best  rule  we  possess 
of  discriminating  between  species,  is  to  inquire  whether  NATURE  has  thrown  any  impedi- 
ment between  the  animals  to  free  sexual  intercourse,  and  whether  the  progeny  form  a 
permanent,  self-supporting  race  of  animals,  which  inherit  equally  the  properties  of  both 
parents.  And  we  feel  confident  that  a  trial  of  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the  woolly  Sheep,  by 
this  law,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  they  are  one  and  the  same,  or  two  distinct  species, 
will  result  entirely  in  favor  of  the  ground  we  have  taken. 

The  reader  will  be  so  good  as  to  remark  that  we  do  not  admit,  as  proof  of  belonging  to 
the  same  species,  that  animals,  either  domesticated  or  wild,  will  mix  together — nor  that 
they  will  have  progeny  incapable  of  continuing  the  breed — nor  that  they  will  have  progeny 
capable  of  continuing  the  breed  for  a  limited  time,  after  which  anew  draft  must  be  made 
upon  one  of  the  original  parents  to  prevent  the  breed  from  running  out — nor  where  they 
have  progeny  capable  of  continuing  the  breed  for  a  limited  time,  after  which  it  runs  out  for 
want  of  power  to  continue  it;  but  we  admit,  as  proof  of  belonging  to  the  same  species,  a 
breed  where  nature  has  thrown  no  impediment  in  the  way  of  free  sexual  intercourse,  and 
where  the  progeny  constitute  a  permanent,  self-supporting  race,  partaking  equally  of  the 
properties  of  both  parents. 

Mr.  Youatt,  when  speaking  of  the  attempt,  in  England,  to  amalgamate  the  Southdown 
Sheep  (which  is  itself  a  hybrid,  being  a  mixture  of  the  hairy  and  the  woolly  species,)  with 
the  Leicester  Sheep,  (which  belongs  to  the  hairy  species,)  pronounces  it  "A  FAILURE." 
And  he  adds,  that  "the  promised  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  mixture  of  the  South- 
down with  the  Merinos,  "WERE  DELUSIVE."  (See  Essay  on  Sheep,  p.  233.) 

It  is  true  that  this  author  does  not  appear  to  be  aware  of  the  cause  of  this  failure,  nor 
of  the  reason  why  the  expectations,  to  which  he  has  referred,  were  delusive;  but  he  has 
furnished  us  with  the  facts,  and  the  inferences  to  be  adduced  from  them  are  irresistible. 

Doctor  Robert  Knox,  an  English  lecturer  on  anatomy,  and  corresponding  member  of 
the  National  Academy  of  Medicine,  in  France,  in  a  recent  work  upon  the  Races  of  Men, 
(52,)  says :  "  The  theories  put  forth,  from  time  to  time,  of  the  production  of  a  new 
variety,  permanent  and  self-supporting,  independent  of  any  drafts  or  supplies  from  the 
pure  breeds,  have  been  distinctly  disproved.  It  holds  neither  in  Sheep  nor  Cattle;"  and 
again,  (in  page  68:)  "But  the  statement  in  question  is  not  even  true  of  Sheep;  for  by 
no  effort,  saving  that  of  constant,  never-ceasing  intermixture,  or  draughts  on  the  pure 
breeds,  can  a  mixed  breed  be  maintained." 

So,  Col.  Randall  (in  Sheep  Husbandry  in  the  South,  p.  170,)  admits,  that  any  attempt 
to  unite  the  Merinos  and  the  Leicesters,  by  crosses,  is  AN  UNQUALIFIED  ABSURDITY. 

It  is  true  that  this  last  gentleman,  (incautiously,  as  we  presume,)  advises  the  crossing 
of  the  Southdown  and  the  Merino  ;  but  such  crossing  of  a  hybrid,  formed  from  an  amal- 
gamation of  the  two  species,  with  the  pure  race,  of  one  of  the  species,  is  no  less  an 
"unqualified  absurdity,"  although  the  reason  may  not,  at  first,  be  quite  so  apparent  to 
every  one. 


OR,  A  TREATISE  OX  PILE.  165 

We  have  not  only  the  pleasure  to  hope,  but  the  vanity  to  anticipate.1,  that  Col.  Randall, 
after  further  reflection  upon  this  important  question,  will  agree  with  us  in  opinion;  if  he 
does  not,  we  would  like  to  hear,  from  himself,  why  the  crossing  of  the  Southdown  and 
the  Merino  merits  his  recommendation,  while  the  mixture  of  the  Merino  and  the  Leicester 
is  so  inconsistent  with  reason  and  common  sense. 

Having  satisfied  ourselves  that  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the  woolly  Sheep  are  members  of 
two  species,  the  next  step  in  the  inquiry  is,  "  what  is  the  consequence  of  their  amalgama- 
tion?" Will  it  promote,  or  mar,  the  great  object  of  the  American  Sheep  breeder?  Con- 
sidering the  very  great  extent  to  which  Sheep  are  now  raised  in  the  United  States,  and 
the  general  prevalence  of  crossings,  these  are  important  questions. 

The  grand  desideratum  of  the  American  Sheep  breeder  is,  to  form  and  preserve,  either 
one  permanent  and  self-supporting  race  of  animals,  which  shall  inherit  eqxmlly  the  good 
qualities  of  both  parents,  which  shall  produce,  with  the  least  trouble  and  expense,  either 
the  greatest  quantity  of  the  finest  quality  of  fine,  soft,  strong  wool,  which  will  felt  and  full 
in  the  greatest  perfection,  or  the  greatest  quantity  of  the  finest  quality  of  fine,  strong,  soft 
fleece  that  will  not  shrink  ;  or  two  races,  one  answering  to  either  of  these  requirements 
Now  to  perform  either,  or  both  of  these,  he  must  (in  each  flock)  confine  himself  to  one 
species,  for  as  often  as  the  parents  are  of  different  species,  the  offspring  will  be  hybrids,  none 
of  which  possess  the  power  of  permanently  fixing  and  self-supporting  a  race,  such  as  has 
been  mentioned. 

Among  all  animals,  intelligent  and  instinctive,  there  exists  a  natural  abhorrence  to  the 
amalgamation  of  species  ;  but  it  is  exhibited  in  different  ways.  Sometimes  the  antipathy 
is  so  potent  as  to  amount  to  an  entire  prohibition,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  cases  of  the 
Cow  and  the  European  Buffalo,*  the  Barbyroussa  and  the  Wild  Boar,  and  the  Pecary  and 

*  The  experiments  of  Robert  Wickliffe,  Esq.,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  relation  to  the  crossing  of  the  American  Buffalo 
(Bison  Americanos,)  with  the  domestic  Cow,  are  full  of  interest.  (See  And.  and  Back.  Quad.) 

"The  herd  Buffalo  I  possess,  (says  this  gentleman,)  have  descended  from  one  or  two  Cowa,  that  I  purchased  from  a  man 
who  brought  them  from  upper  Missouri.  I  have  had  them  about  thirty  years ;  but  from  giving  them  away,  and  the 
occasional  killing  of  them  by  mischievous  person?,  as  well  as  other  causes,  my  whole  stock  at  this  time  does  not  exceed  ten 
or  twelve.  I  have  sometimes  confined  them  in  separate  packs  from  other  cattle,  but  generally  they  herd  and  feed  with  my 
stock  or  farm  cattle.  They  graze  in  company  with  them  as  gently  as  the  others.  The  Buffalo  Cows,  I  think,  go  with 
young  about  the  same  time  the  common  Cow  does,  and  produce  once  a  year.  None  of  mine  have  ever  had  more  than  one  at 
a  birth.  The  approach  of  the  sexes  is  similar  to  that  of  the  common  Bull  and  Cow,  under  all  circumstances,  at  all  times, 
when  the  Cow  is  in  heat — a  period  which  seems,  as  with  the  common  Cow,  confined  to  neither  day  nor  night,  nor  any 
particular  season;  and  the  Cow  brings  forth  her  young,  of  course,  at  different  times  and  seasons  of  the  year,  the  same  as  our 
domestic  cattle.  I  do  not  find  my  Buffaloes  more  furious  or  wild  than  the  common  cattle  of  the  same  age,  that  graze 
with  them. 

"  Although  the  Buffalo,  like  the  domestic  Cow,  brings  forth  its  young  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  this  I  attribute  to 
the  effect  of  domestication,  as  it  is  different  with  all  animals  in  a  state  of  nature.  I  have  always  heard  their  time  for  calving 
in  our  latitude,  was  from  March  until  July  ;  and  it  is  very  obviously  the  season  which  nature  assigns  for  the  increase  of 
both  races,  as  most  of  my  calves  were  from  the  Buffaloes  and  common  Cows  of  this  season.  On  getting  possession  of  the 
tame  Buffalo,  I  endeavored  to  cross  them  as  much  as  I  could  with  my  common  Cows,  to  which  experiment  I  found  the  tame 
or  common  Bull  unwilling  to  accede ;  and  he  was  always  shy  of  a  Buffalo  Cow,  but  the  Buffalo  Bull  was  willing  to  breed  with 
the  common  Cow. 

"  From  the  common  Cow  I  have  several  half  breeds,  one  of  which  was  a  heifer ;  this  I  put  with  a  domestic  Bull  and  it 
produced  a  Bull  Calf.  This  1  castrated,  and  it  made  a  very  fine  steer,  and  when  killed  produced  very  tine  beef.  I  bred 


166  TRICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

Wild  Hog,  when  in  their  native  state ;  and  the  Dog  and  the  Wolf,  the  Dog  and  the  Fox, 
and  the  Hare  and  the  Rabbit,  even  when  domesticated.  At  other  times  the  antipathy  is 
partially  subdued  in  a  few  instances  out  of  many,  by  association,  as  in  the  rare  cases  of 
marriages  between  a  white  person  and  a  negro.  And  here  every  one  of  us  must  have 
been  witness  of  the  almost  universal  natural  feeling  of  abhorrence  of  the  community 
disgraced  by  such  an  outrage ;  often  followed  by  an  outbreak.  That  this  is  the  effect  of 
the  natural  feeling  we  have  described,  we  rely  upon  Professor  Samuel  G.  Morton,  who 
tells  us  that  it  is  not  only  proverbial  among  all  European  nations,  but  is  evinced  by 
Africans,  in  their  own  country,  and  upon  Duncan,  who,  in  his  travels  in  Western  Africa, 
relates  several  instances  of  the  negresses  running  aATay  in  apparent  fright  and  disgust  at 
the  sight  of  a  white  man.  At  other  times  this  natural  abhorrence  is  overcome  either  by 
domestication  alone,  or  by  domestication  aided  by  the  artifices  of  man,  as  in  the  case  with 
the  Jackass  and  the  Mare. 

In  like  manner  nature  makes  known  her  non-conformity  to  this  mixture  in  various  ways. 

Sometimes  the  issue  is  absolutely  sterile.  At  others  the  product  is  so  mal-conformed 
that  it  cannot  survive  the  period  of  lactation,  as  was  the  case  with  both  the  foals  of  Mr. 
Kilby's  Mule.  Now  the  progeny  is  capable  of  being  continued  but  only  by  new  drafts 
or  supplies  from  the  pure  breeds  from  which  it  sprung;  as  was  the  issue  of  the  Sheep  and 
the  Goat,  mentioned  by  Bellchambers.  Then  the  progeny  multiply  among  themselves  for 
two  or  three  generations  only ;  and  even  during  that  time  show  no  constancy  of  character, 
as  mentioned  by  Van  Amringe,  in  Nat.  Hist,  of  Man,  (p.  429,)  who  says:  "We  have 
devoted  much  attention  to  this  subject,  have  examined  a  number  of  mulatto  families,  and 
are  satisfied  that  the  children  seldom  exhibit  the  medium  color  of  their  parents."  And,  in  a 

from  this  same  heifer  several  calves,  and  then,  that  the  experiment  might  be  perfect,  I  put  one  of  them  to  the  Buffalo  Bull, 
and  she  brought  me  a  Bull  Calf,  which  I  raised  to  be  a  very  fine,  large  animal — perhaps  the  only  one  to  be  met  within  the  world, 
of  this  blood,  viz :  a  |  fa — Q  of  common  blood. 

"  After  making  these  experiments  I  have  left  them  to  propagate  their  blood  themselves,  so  that  I  have  only  had  a  few 
half-breeds  and  they  always  prove  the  same  even  by  a  Buffalo  Bull." 

Upon  this  statement  of  Mr.  Wickliffe's  we  crave  attention  to  the  following  comments: 

1st.  That  his  herd,  which  now  numbers  ten  or  twelve,  commenced  thirty  years  ago,  with  two  pure  female  Buffaloes ;  yet 
he  endeavored,  as  much  as  lie  could,  to  cross  them  with  his  common  cattle. 

2d.  He  found  the  tame  or  common  Bull  unwilling  to  copulate  with  the  female  Buffalo. 

3d.  One  half-breed  heifer  produced  a  Bull  Calf  but  he  was  castrated  and  killed,  and  so  ended  that  experiment. 

4th.  From  the  same  heifer  he  bred  several  Calves,  one  of  which  was  put  to  a  Buffalo  Bull,  which  produced  a  Bull  Calf  which 
was  raised,  and  here  this  experiment  ended.  It  stands  thus: 

1. 
Buffalo  Bull  "I  2. 

and  >  A  Female  half  breed)          3. 

Common  Cow.  ]  and  V  A  Bull  Calf. 

A  Buffalo  Bull.      ) 

Now  the  reader  will  remark  that  No.  1,  being  a  cross  of  two  species  the  product  was  No.  2,  a  hybrid  half-breed.  But  this 
hybrid  half-breed  was  not  coupled  with  another  of  the  same  grade,  but  was  bred  towards  one  of  the  original  stock  or  parents, 
viz  :  a  Buffalo  Bull. 

Mr.  Wickliffe,  therefore,  very  properly  comes  to  the  following  conclusions,  viz :  that  his  experiments  were  not  satisfactory 
evidence  that  a  half  Buffalo  will  produce  again;  but  only  that  a  half-breed  heifer  will  be  productive  from  breeding  towards 
either  original  race. 


OR,  A  TllEATISE  ON  1'ILK.  1(17 

subsequent  page,  (431,)  he  adds,  " that  in  large  families  of  mulaltoes  (of  half-blood  parents) 
it  is  quite  common  to  find  several  of  the  children  as  light  colored  as  if  one  parent  was 
white,  and  another  portion  of  the  children  as  black  as  if  one  parent  were  a  pure  negro." 

All  these  different  phases  speak  in  different  languages,  but  they  proclaim  the  same 
sentiment  of  natural  abhorrence  to  the  amalgamation  of  species ;  while,  by  the  connection 
of  two  individuals  belonging  to  the  same  species,  the  stock  is  uniform,  permanent,  inde- 
structible and  ineffaceable — no  change  of  time,  food,  climate,  nor  circumstances,  can 
materially  alter,  much  less  sweep  it  away;  as  witness  the  cases  of  the  Jews  and  the 
Gipsies,  whose  races  have  out-lived  the  records  of  the  mo.st  ancient  history. 

"It  is  by  the  exclusion  of  all  foreign  mixtures  (says  Humboldt)  that  species  are  pre- 
served." 

And  even  Dr.  Prichard  (who  has  shown  such  an  anxiety  to  reduce  the  white  man  and 
the  negro  to  the  same  category)  tells  us,  (in  Researches,  &c.,  v.  2,  p.  341,)  that  "separate 
species  of  organized  beings  do  not  pass  into  each  other  by  insensible  degrees." 

What  Van  Amriuge  has  remarked  in  regard  to  the  variation  of  the  color  of  the  skin  of 
the  children  of  mulattoes,  we  have  found  to  correspond  in  the  diversity  in  the  organization 
of  the  pile,  which  is  found  sometimes  corresponding  with  that  of  one  parent,  and  at  others 
with  that  of  the  other  parent,  and  at  others,  still,  resembling  the  pile  of  both,  in  different 
filaments;  thus  furnishing  ample  proof  that  there  does  not  there  exist,  thatywm^  inheritance 
of  the  characteristics  of  both  parents,  so  remarkable  when  the  progeny  is  derived  entirely 
from  one  species,  though  of  different  varieties.  This  experience  ought  to  serve  as  a  warn- 
ing to  the  American  Sheep  breeder,  whose  object  is  to  produce  a  race  enjoying  equally  the 
good  qualities  of  both  parents. 

The  natural  disgust  planted  in  the  minds  of  all  animals  to  the  mixture  of  species,  seems 
to  have  been  wisely  pre-ordained,  in  order  to  preserve  the  purity  and  beauty  of  creation. 
By  the  formation  of  species  order  was  proclaimed,  but  it  can  be  maintained  by  this  natural 
feeling  alone.  Without  such,  a  feeling,  the  law  of  the  harmony  of  species,  throughout 
the  immense  varieties  of  created  beings,  which  now  people  and  beautify  the  earth,  the"  air 
and  the  sea,  would  be  utterly  destroyed,  and  the  whole  animal  commonwealth  would  be 
converted  into  a  disgusting  assemblage  of  unsightly  monsters ! 

God  has  wisely  and  kindly  given  to  each  species  of  animals  "the  intelligence,  the 
instinct,  and  the  organs  exactly  fitted  for  their  respective  stations;  but,  by  such  a  general 
amalgamation,  his  wisdom  and  kindness  would  be  rendered  entirely  abortive,  and  his 
designs  for  the  happiness  of  his  creatures  annulled.  Organs  would  be  taken  away  from 
animals  to  whom  they  are  invaluable,  and  conferred  upon  others  to  whom  they  would  be 
an  incumbrance.  Propensities,  which  are  the  happiness  of  one  species,  would  be  torn 
from  them  to  be  imposed  upon  another  to  make  them  miserable. 

It  is  no  objection  to  our  position  that  such  crosses  are  sometimes  allowed  to  be  produc- 
tive, to  a  limited  extent;  for,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  generations,  the  progeny  either  pass 
over  to  the  side  of  one  or  other  of  the  progenitors,  and  the  abnormal  race  is  thus  expunged 
forever  from  that  polluted  page  of  the  fair  volume  of  nature,  or  the  breed,  from  a  natural 
42 


16S  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

defect,   caused    by  this  very  amalgamation,  runs  out  entirely,  and    is   thus  eventually 
extinguished.* 

Every  practising  physician  has  had  occasion  to  remark  how  much  more  mulattoes  are 
liable  to  scrofulous  and  phthisical  diseases,  and  similar  wasting  complaints,  than  either  the 
whites  or  blacks  from  whom  they  are  descended;!  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  that  a 
similar  law  holds  in  regard  to  Sheep  when  species  are  amalgamated.  Now  this  is  destructive 
to  the  permanency  of  stock,  which  it  is  one  great  object  of  the  American  farmer  to  ensure. 
It  little  suits  his  purpose,  after  having  paid  for  a  high-priced  ram,  to  have  all  his  hopes  of 
a  stock  blasted  by  an  unwise  crossing  with  a  common  country  ewe. 

It  is  true,  that  by  a  repetition  of  the  same  causes,  that  is  to  say,  by  similar  amalga- 
mations, new  hybrids  may  sometimes  be  continually  produced,  as  in  the  cases  of  mulattoes 
and  mules;  but  they,  in  their  turn,  are  subject  to  the  same  law  of  destruction,  and 
are  doomed  to  the  same  premature  decay  and  demolition.  "With  the  cessation  of  the 
supply  of  European  blood  (says  Dr.  Knox)  the  mulatto,  of  all  shades,  must  cease"  "He 
cannot  extend  his  race,  for  he  has  NO  race  f  "there  is  no  place  for  him  in  nature."  And 
Col.  Smith  (in  Nat.  Hist,  of  Man,  p.  119,)  says:  "We  doubt  exceedingly  if  a  mulatto 
family  does  exist,  or  could  exist,  in  any  part  of  the  tropics,  continued  to  the  fourth  genera- 
tion, from  any  one  stock ;  perhaps  there  is  not  one,  even  in  five  generations  of  positive 
mulattoes,  but  that  all  actually  require,  for  continuity  at  least,  a  long  previous  succession 
of  foreign  influences,  of  white,  or  negro,  or  mestise,  or  quadroon,  or  sambo,  or  native 
Indian,  or  Malay  blood,  before  the  sinew  and  substance  of  a  durable,  intermediate  race 
can  be  reared."  Then  how  can  the  American  Sheep  breeder  reasonably  expect,  by  cross- 
ing a  Saxon  ram  with  a  common  country  ewe,  to  obtain  a  permanent  stock  of  Merino 


*The  following  ca.-e  came  within  our  own  observation:  An  English  gentleman,  stout  and  healthy,  went  to  one  of  the  West 
India  Islands,  where  he  had  a  son  by  a  tetra-mulattin.  He  brought  him  to  the  United  States,  where  he  was  brought  up  and 
educated.  His  skin  was  white,  and  he  showed  no  indications  of  negro  blood  except  that  his  black  hair  was  slightly  frizzled.  When 
quite  young  he  had  an  illegitimate  child,  by  a  white  girl,  which  died  in  infancy.  He  was  afterwards  thrice  married,  and  had 
26  children.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  three  children, — two  of  them  died  in  infancy,  the  third  lived  to  about  40  years  of  age. 
By  his  second  wife  he  had  three  children — one  died  in  infancy,  one  lived  to  full  age  and  died  unmarried,  and  the  third  lived 
to  full  age,  married  and  had  children.  By  his  third  wife,  who  was  young  and  healthy,  he  had  16  children — eight  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  and  a  ninth  died  of  consumption  just  after  he  attained  his  age  ;  a  tenth,  under  30,  of  consumption,  leaving 
three  children,  one  of  whom  is  subject  to  fits;  the  eleventh  died  under  10  years;  the  twelfth,  being  a  female,  married,  and 
h  ad  three  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  another  is  deformed ;  the  thirteenth,  being  a  female,  and  always  weakly, 
married  and  had  five  children — three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  two  alive  are  very  delicate ;  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth 
are  females,  unmarried ;  and  the  sixteenth  a  male,  who  is  married,  and  has  three  children. 

\  VITAL  STATISTICS. — Dr.  Pendleton,  of  Georgia,  has  published  a  paper  on  the  vital  statistics  of  Hancock  county,  in  that 
State.  By  his  tables  we  learn,  that  during  the  last  ten  years,  the  increase  of  the  white  population  has  been  13.4  per  cent., 
while  that  of  the  black  has  been  23.6  per  cent.  In  the  pure  races  the  males  numerically  preponderate,  while,  in  the  mongrel 
race  of  mulattoes,  the  females  are  largely  in  the  ascendant ;  which  may  possibly  be  explained  on  the  theory  that  the  mothers 
being  black,  and  the  fathers  white,  in  most  cases,  the  former  determine  the  sex.  It  is  also  here  shown  that  the  mulatto  is 
much  shorter  lived  than  either  of  the  unmixed  races.  The  comparative  salubrity  of  the  climate  of  Georgia  is  shown,  by  a 
tabular  exhibit,  to  be  vastly  greater  than  any  other  portion  of  our  country,  and  even  superior  to  that  of  the  rural  districts  of 
England,  and  this,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  blacks  greatly  outnumber  the  whites,  while  the  former  are  much  more 
short  lived  than  the  latter.  The  average  mortality  of  New  York,  for  seven  years,  from  1841  to  1848,  is  stated  at  2.87  per 
cent.,  while  that  of  six  counties  in  Georgia,  for  the  last  year,  was  only  1.51  per  cent.  The  fallacy,  however,  is  apparent  in 
comparing  a  country  population  in  the  interior,  with  a  city  containing  half  a  million  of  people,  subject  to  importation  of 
ship-fever,  small-pox,  and  other  epidemics,  from  which  much  of  our  mortality  is  derived. 


(il!.   A  TRKAT1SE  OX   PILE.  1C,') 

Sheep?  We  know,  that  sometimes  hybrids  are  purposely  produced  on  account  of  ;ui 
individual  peculiarity ,  which  (notwithstanding  their  evanescent  character)  render  them,  in 
some  respects,  more  valuable  than  either  of  their  progenitors.  This  is  the  case  of  the 
Mule.  But  the  same  reason  does  not  exist  for  producing  the  hybrid  Sheep,  which  pos- 
sesses no  such  peculiarity,  and  is  esteemed  only  in  proportion  to  its  similarity  to  its 
progenitors. 

In  page  120,  Col.  Smith  says,  that  "  war  and  slavery  are  the  elements  of  amalgamation, 
where  mixed  races  spring  up,  and  are  maintained,  until  the  impure  fall  a  prey  to  the  pure 
races;  the  former  falling  before  the  victors  until  they  are  exterminated,  absorbed  and 
perish  by  a  kind  of  decreasing  vitality,  and  are  entirely  obliterated." 

From  hastily  reading  the  passage  last  cited,  the  reader  might,  perhaps,  be  led  to 
imagine  that,  in  the  end,  no  injury  is  done  to  the  pure  races,  who  are  represented  as 
"swallowing  up  the  impure  ones:"  but  this  author  adds,  "yet  this  apparent  obliteration 
must  ever  affect  subsequent  forms  and  mental  conditions  in  the  victors  ;  which  the  physiolo- 
gist ought  to  bear  in  mind,  when  known,  or  indicate,  when  only  suspected." 

Therefore,  let  no  American  Sheep  breeder  flatter  himself  with  the  hope  or  expectation 
that  by  breeding  towards  a  superior  race,  he  will  ever  be  able,  entirely  to  obliterate  the 
defects  of  an  inferior  one ;  if  he  does  so,  he  will  find,  to  his  cost  and  discomfiture,  (and 
that,  perhaps,  when  he  least  expects  it,)  that  the  obliteration  is  not  real,  but  apparent ;  and 
that  he  has  entailed  a  stigma  upon  his  stock,  which  no  art  nor  time  can  wholly  eradicate. 

In  page  214,  Col.  Smith  explains  some  of  the  names  of  hybrids  from  the  crossing  of 
white  and  black  persons;  he  says  "a  black  and  white  make  a  mulatto,  a  mulatto  and  white 
make  a  quadroon,  a  quadroon  and  a  white  a  mestise,  amestise  and  a  white  a  white-"  But 
what  kind  of  white  is  thus  manufactured  out  of  black  and  while  ?  He  tells  us,  "  But  this 
last  has  black  and  curlij  hair;  nails,  dark  and  ill-shaped ;  feet,  badly  formed ;  and  much 
of  the  negro  propensities.''' 

Now  Col.  Smith  may  call  this  a  "white'''  if  he  chooses;  but  we  would  be  very  much 
afraid  of  marrying  such  a  white,  for  fear  of  finding  ourselves,  some  day,  blessed  with  a  black 
heir.  And  we  think  that,  arguing  from  analogy,  it  would  not  be  hazarding  too  much  to 
predict,  that  if  the  (so  called)  "/^//-blooded  Saxon  Sheep,"  we  read,  and  hear  tell  of, 
manufactured  by  breeding  from  an  impure  to  a  pure  race,  were  critically  examined,  that 
the  vestiges  of  their  impurity  would  be  found  still  lurking  in  their  veins.*  It  is  not  in 


*  Our  learned  friend,  William  F.  Van  Amringe,  to  whom  we  loaned  the  MS.  of  this  chapter,  returned  it  with  the  follow- 
ing valuable  note : 

"  BLACK  HEIR. — This  unfortunate  circumstance  happened,  recently,  in  .  A  gentleman  of  high  respectability 

married  a  beautiful  girl,  whose  first  child  was  a  negro!  The  fidelity  of  the  wife  was  beyond  suspicion  ;  but,  on  investigation, 
it  was  discovered  that  her  grandfather,  or  great  grandfather,  was  a  negro. 

"  Dr.  White,  a  wealthy,  educated  physician  and  farmer  of  Duchess  County,  in  this  State,  [New  York,]  became  possessed 
of  a  full-blooded  Ayreshire  Cow,  which,  about  twenty  years  ago,  he  put  to  a  full-blooded  Durham  white  Bull.  Subsequently 
he  bred  continually,  "  in  and  in,"  towards  the  Cow,  and  boasted  that  he  was  practically  disproving  the  doctrine  of  constitu- 
tional impairment  by  "  in  and  in"  breeding,  notwithstanding  my  prediction  that  it  would  ultimately  fail.  It  was  remarkable 
that,  for  many  years,  say  12  or  15,  the  progeny  uniformly  leaned  towards  the  Cow,  whose  color  and  type  were  frequently 
reproduced;  during  which  the  color  and  type  of  the  Bull  did  not  appear.  Suddenly,  a  few  years  ago.  the  color  and  type  of 


170  TIIICIIOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM ; 

the  nature  of  things,  by  adding  purity  to  impurity  to  beget  purity.  Copper  added  to  gold 
never  yet  made  pure  gold  ;  nor  will  pure  blood  added  to  impure  make  pure  blood. 

"It  is  a  law  of  nature  (says  Agassis)  that  animals,  as  well  as  plants,  are  preceded  by 
individuals  of  the  same  species  only  ;  and  reproduction  in  animals  is  almost  universally 
accomplished  by  an  association  of  individuals  of  two  kinds,  [sexes,]  males  and  females." 
But  those  who  contend  for  the  breeding  we  are  now  calling  in  question,  act  upon  the 
principle  that  one  kind  [sex]  only  can  accomplish  the  reproduction.  Not  only  so,  but 
they  act  upon  the  principle  that  they  can  select  which  of  the  two  kinds  [sexes]  shall 
perpetuate  its  like,  for  if  it  is  left  to  nature,  and  she  selects  the  impure  kind,  then  they 
admit  that  the  stock  is  irretrievably  destroyed. 

The  law  of  species  is  so  clearly  laid  down  by  Professor  Wagner,  that  we  cannot  with- 
stand the  temptation  of  transcribing  a  part  of  .his  essay. 

"  Plants,  produced  from  different  varieties  of  the  same  species  are  FERTILE  ;  while  hybrids 
either  revert  to  the  original  character,  or  become  gradually  less  capable  of  reproduction, 
and  within  a  few  generations  become  entirely  extinct." 

Dr.  Prichard  copies  this  passage  into  his  Nat.  Hist,  of  Man,  followed  by  the  remark  that 
"  the  same  law  prevails  in  the  animal  kingdom",  and  Van  Amringe  confirms  the  proposition 
in  the  most  unqualified  manner.  So,  you  perceive,  that  it  is  the  acknowledged  law  of 
God,  who  has  conferred  upon  man,  and  other  animals,  the  power  of  producing  others  of 
their  kind,  and  of  thus  perpetuating  their  species,  but  not  of  forming  a  new  race. 

"  And  God  made  the  beasts  of  the  earth  after  his  kind,  and  cattle  after  their  kind,  and  every  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the 
earth  after  his  kind,  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good." 

The  word  "kind"  here  found  repeated,  corresponds  with  the  term  "species."  Thus 
it  appears  that  God  saw  that  it  was  good  to  create  all  animals  in  species. 

It  is  God's  attribute  to  create  !  man's  to  mar  and  destroy  !  Such  artificial  varieties  as 
we  have  been  condemning  are  natural  deformities.  Specific  uniformity  is  beauty  and 
belongs  to  nature — emanates  from  her  laws,  and  is  the  work  of  her  hands;  every 
deviation  from  nature's  type,  must  necessarily  be  a  deformity.  It  is  one  which  she  (if  left 
to  herself)  will  throw  off,  cast  from  her,  as  unworthy  of  support;  but  if  the  deviation  is 
persisted  in,  it  terminates  in  chaos  ! 

As  sometimes  it  is  allowed  to  argue  from  extremes,  let  us  suppose,  for  a  moment,  that 
nature  were  to  resign  the  reigns  of  creation  to  man,  what  a  picture  would  soon  be 
presented — Cows  rioting  in  blood,  while  Lions  and  Tigers  were  grazing  and  chewing  the 
cud ;  Fishes  clambering  up  trees,  or  building  and  inhabiting  three-story  brick  houses ; 
Turkies  in  uniform,  strutting  at  the  head  of  regiments  of  Geese  and  fowls;  Hogs  dressed 
in  brocades  and  adorned  with  pearls  and  diamonds,  while  woman,  lovely  woman,  is  grunting 
Italian  airs,  as  she  lies  wallowing  in  mire  ! 

the  Bull  exhibited  themselves ;  and  from  that  moment  the  impairment  of  constitution  became  manifest,  and  the  extinction 
of  the  stock  hastened. 

"From  this  remarkable  example  I  infer  that,  in  crosses,  so  long  as  the  constitutional  energy  of  either  parent  predominates 
over  that  of  the  less  vigorous  parent,  and  manifests  itself  in  the  constitution  of  the  progeny,  propagation  will  continue ;  but 
the  moment  the  constitutional  energy  of  the  predominating  parent  becomes  reduced,  to  admit  the  alteration  of  the  constitution 
of  the  less  vigorous  parent,  the  rapid  extinction  of  the  race  is  indicated." 


OK,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  171 

And  lastly,  we  must  anticipate  an  objection  which  may  possibly  be  made  to  our  twofold 
division  of  Sheep,  into  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the  woolly  Sheep,  namely,  that  there  are 
Sheep  which  have  both  hair  and  wool.  Now, 'suppose  our  opponents  were  able  to  demon- 
strate that  these  Sheep  belonged  to  a  third  species;  this  would  by  no  means  invalidate  the 
positions  we  have  advanced.  But  we  believe  that  the  true  answer  to  such  an  objection 
would  be,  that  the  "hairy  and  woolly  Sheep"  are  hybrids,  which,  like  the  mulatto  before 
noticed,  exhibit  the  separate  integuments  bequeathed  respectively  by  both  their  progenitors. 
And  we  might  as  well  here  notice,  that  it  has  been  said  that  Sheep  taken  from  one  climate 
to  another,  will  partly  change  their  coats;  portions  of  the  hair  of  some  falling  out  and 
being  replaced  by  wool;  and  portions  of  wool  of  others  falling  out  and  being  replaced  by 
hair;  for  no  one  in  his  senses  would  contend  that  a  single  filament  of  either  of  these 
integuments  can  be  transformed  into  the  other.* 

Now  this  change  of  coat,  if  it  ever  takes  place  at  all,f  never  happens  to  either  the  pure 
hairy  Sheep  or  the  pure  woolly  Sheep,  but  is  a  condition  of  these  hybrids  who  have 
already  hair  and  wool. 

From  all  which  we  are  decidedly  of  opinion,  that  the  American  Sheep  breeder,  whose 
object  is  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  permanent,  self-producing  stock,  or,  if  he  will,  of  two 
such  stocks,  (in  different  places,)  inheriting  respectively  and  equally  the  good  qualities 
of  both  their  parents,  should  abstain  from  mingling  together  the  hairy  Sheep  and  the 
woolly  Sheep.  He  ought  to  do  so  as  a  measure  of  prudence,  were  it  only  that  he  incurred 
the  risk  of  injuring  his  flock,  a  multo  fortiori,  after  we  have  positively  proved  that  such 
crosses  are  unmitigated  evils. 

Are  crosses  of  hairy  and  woolly  Sheep  recommended  to  save  expense  of  outfit  ?  No 
outlay  of  capital  can  justly  be  considered  as  extravagant  which  has  for  its  object  to  preserve 
apcrmanrnt  purity  of  stock.  Is  it  to  save  time?  It  is  time  lost,  and  not  time  saved,  to 
commence  by  such  an  abnormal  crossing. 

When  an  architect  is  about  to  erect  a  noble  superstructure,  destined  to  last  for  genera- 
tions, he  commences  by  laying  a  perfectly  solid  foundation,  regardless  of  a  moderate 
expenditure  of  time  and  money.  The  breeding  and  raising  of  Sheep,  and  the  production 
of  fleece,  promises  to  be,  in  this  country,  a  great  and  important  undertaking;  let  us  not 
then  destroy  it,  in  the  beginning,  by  a  hasty  and  inoperative  plan  of  breeding. 

EXAMPLE  OF  THE  WOOLLY  SHEEP  SPECIES. — From  what  has  been  already  said,  it  will 
be  anticipated  that  the  example  of  the  wool-bearing  species  of  Sheep  is  the  breed  some- 

*  Mr.  Latham,  (in  Nat.  Hist,  of  Var.  of  Man,  p.  62,)  speaks  of  the  hair  "changing,"  but  his  views  are  not  explained, 
t  Lawrence  says  that  it  does  not  appear,  that  the  change  of  climate  will  convert  the  wool  of  an  individual  English  Sheep 
into  hair ;  and  it  is  equally  incapable  of  conferring  a  woolly  covering  on  a  hairy  Sheep.  Dr.  Wright,  who  lived  many  years 
in  Jamaica,  speaking  of  the  opinion  that  the  wool  of  Sheep  becomes  more  hairy  in  warm  climates,  says  that  in  the  West 
India  Islands  there  is  to  be  found  a  breed  of  Sheep,  the  origin  of  which  he  has  not  yet  been  able  to  trace,  that  carry  very 
thin  fleece  of  a  coarse,  shaggy  kind  of  wool ;  which  circumstance,  he  thinks,  may  naturally  have  given  rise  to  the  report. 
But  he  never  observed  a  Sheep  that  had  been  brought  from  England  to  carry  wool  of  the  same  sort  with  these  native  Sheep; 
on  the  contrary,  though  he  has  known  them  live  there  several  years,  these  English  Sheop  carried  the  same  kind  of  close, 
burly  fleece  that  is  common  in  England,  and  as  far  as  he  could  observe,  it  was  equally  frc«  from  hair." 

43 


172    .  TRICHOLOGIA  MAMMALIUM; 

times  denominated  the  Merino,  arid  at  others  the  Saxony,  which,  when  perfect,  are  entirely 
destitute  of  hair.      (See  fig.  99.) 

This  perfection  the  American  wool  grower  should  endeavor  to  attain ;  for  "  in  all  the 
energies,  moral  and  physical,  of  man,  the  pursuit  of  absolute  perfection  is  the  only  means 
of  arriving  at  the  nearest  approximation  to  it,  attainable  by  human  power." 

EXAMPLE  OF  THE  HAIRY  SHEEP  SPECIES. — It  is  not  so  easy  to  point  out  an  example  of 
a  perfect  hairy  Sheep.  (See  fig.  100.) 

The  old  Leicester  breed  (as  they  once  roamed  in  most  of  the  midland  counties  of  Eng- 
land) is  now  known  to  us  as  a  matter  of  history  only.  Its  description  is  found  in  Youatt's 
Essay  upon  Sheep,  p.  313.  The  new  Leicester,  of  Bakewell,  (if  it  be  true,  as  said  of  it, 
that  it  is  derived  from  the  old  breed,  without  any  crossing,)  might  be  a  good  basis  whereon 
to  form  a  permanent  and  self-supporting  stock  for  this  country,  if,  by  retracing  the  steps 
of  Bakewell,  so  far  as  he  transformed  a  hair-bearing  animal  into  a  mere  beast  of  slaughter, 
we  could  restore  the  injured  pile  to  its  original  integrity,  pursuant  to  the  principles  laid 
down  in  the  IVth  Chapter  of  this  work. 

Of  the  fleece  of  the  American  new  Leicester  Mr.  Randall  remarks,  that  it  is  long, 
averaging,  after  the  first  shearing,  about  six  inches ;  that  it  weighs  about  six  pounds ;  that 
it  is  coarse,  and  little  used  in  the  manufacture  of  cloth,  on  account  of  its  length  and  defi- 
ciency in  felting  properties ;  but  as  a  combing  wool  (non-shrinking  hair)  it  stands  first, 
and  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  fae  finest  worsteds. 

Mr.  Randall  adds,  that  this  wool  is  not  saleable,  BECAUSE  OF  THE  DEARTH  OF  WORSTED 
MANUFACTORIES  IN  OUR  COUNTRY  ;  and  when  we  inquire  into  the  cause  of  this  dearth  of 
worsted  manufactories  in  this  country,  we  are  told  that  it  is  because  of  the  scarcity  of  the 
proper  fleece.  What  is  to  be  done?  Are  there  never  to  be  worsted  manufactories  in  the 
United  States  because  the  proper  fleece  is  not  grown  ?  and  is  the  proper  fleece  never  to  be 
grown  in  the  United  States,  because  there  is  a  dearth  of  worsted  manufactories  ?  Verily, 
this  is  arguing  in  a  narrow  circle ! 

It  is  a  subject  of  general  complaint,  that  the  English  flannels  have  greatly  depreciated. 
After  the  second  or  third  washing,  they  have  shrunk  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  almost  value- 
less, and  the  consumer  has  lost  not  only  the  original  cost  of  the  material,  but  the  price  of 
making  it  into  a  garment.  Why  this  is  the  case,  has  been  disclosed  in  the  testimony 
taken  before  the  House  of  Lords,  1828,  viz:  that  the  Southdown  wool,  being  unable  to 
compete  with  foreign  fleece,  in  the  manufacture  of  cloth,  has  been  appropriated  to  the 
manufacture  of  flannel.  Now,  if  we  turn  to  our  table  of  the  number  of  scales  upon  the 
different  fleeces,  we  will  find  that  the  Southdown  has,  upon  one  inch  in  length,  2,080, 
while  the  Leicester  has  only  1,860 ;  so  that  the  shrinking  of  flannels  made  by  the  former 
has  been  increased  in  the  proportion  that  2,080  is  greater  than  1,860.  And  it  must  be 
recollected,  that  we  come  to  this  important  conclusion  by  merely  counting  the  scales;  and 
that  if  the  differences  in  their  shapes,  sizes,  roughness,  pointeclness  and  degree  of  adherence 
to  the  shaft,  were  taken  into  the  account,  no  doubt  but  much  more  light  would  be  shed 
upon  this  hitherto  obscure  subject. 


OK,  A  TREATISE  ON  PILE.  173 

But  it  is  wisdom  to  profit  by  the  errors  of  others.  Let  us  take  warning,  and  manufac- 
ture our  flannels  from  a  fleece  that  will  not  shrink.  It  can  be  produced  in  this  country  by 
selecting  the  best  breed  of  hair-bearing  Sheep,  and  taking  care  to  keep  them  separate 
from  the  other  species. 

In  turning  his  attention  to  this  particular  branch  of  industry,  the  American  farmer  will 
be  without  a  competitor ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  in  Russia,  Prussia,  Hungary,  Saxony, 
&c.,  &c.,  where  attention  is  paid  to  the  raising  of  fine  wools  for  cloth,  the  fleece  for  manu- 
facturing articles  that  are  required  not  to  shrink,  is  much  neglected.*  Here  is  a  fine  field 
open  for  American  enterprise,  in  which  the  industrious  farmer  has  only  to  walk  the  course 
and  pocket  the  purse. 

*  Perhaps  cannot  be  grown  in  perfection. 


LIST    AND    DESCRIPTION    OF    PLATES 


CHAPTER    I. 

PART    I. 

Fig.  1,  page  7. — A  Hair  of  the  Head  of  one  of  the  Oval-Haired  Species;  a,  the  vessels; 
b,  the  follicle;  c,  the  button;  d,  a  part  of  the  shaft,  with  the  cortex;  e,  another  part  of  the 
shaft,  with  the  cortex  removed,  exposing  the  fibres ;  f,  another  still,  with  the  cortex  and 
fibres  removed,  exposing  the  central  canal,  interrupted. 

Fig.  2,  page  8. — Hair  and  Wool  contrasted.  A,  hair,  (the  scales  having  the  appearance 
of  transverse  stria3  only;)  B,  wool,  (with  the  scales  more  apparent.) 

Fig.  3,  page  9. — Outline  of  a  Feather;  a,  the  cylinder;  b,  the  inferior  navel;  c,  the 
superior  navel;  d,  the  stalk;  e,  the  beard  and  steno-beard. 

Fig.  4,  page  11. — The  Ostrich  Feather. 

Fig.  5,  page  11. — The  Eye-Lash  of  the  Ostrich;  c,  the  cylinder,  and  a,  the  inferior 
navel;  b,  the  superior  navel;  e,  the  beard  and  steno-beard. 

Fig.  6,  page  12. — The  Pile  of  the  Ornithorynchus ;  a,  the  button;  b,  a  part  of  the  shaft, 
(marked  with  dark  colored  varying  lines;)  c,  the  neck;  d,  the  broad  portion  of  the  shaft, 
(with  disseminated  coloring  matter  and  the  spire ;)  e,  anterior  part  of  the  shaft,  (gradually 
narrowing;)  /,  the  apex. 

PART    II. 

Fig.  7,  page  14. — The  internal  arrangement  of  one  of  the  divisions  of  the  Mantle  of  the 
Armadillo.  A,  the  main  arterial  trunk;  B,  the  fusiform  follicles;  C,  the  hair-like  pro- 
cesses; D,  the  orbicular  capsule.  1,  2,  3  and  4,  horizontal  limbs;  5,  inclined  limb;  6, 
anastomosing  branches;  7,  the  largest  branch;  8,  branches  which  do  not  anastomose;  9, 
interfolical  vessels;  0,  culs  de  sac. 

Fig.  8,  page  16. — Hair-like  Processes  issuing  from  between  and  under  the  Scales  of  the 
Manis,  (showing  its  shape,  coloring  matter  in  irregular  lines  and  dots,  and  a  wart-like 
protuberance.) 

Fig.  9,  page  16. — Scales  upon  the  Prehensile  Tail  of  the  Possum. 

Fig.  10  a,  page  17. — A  transverse  section  of  the  Horn  of  the  Rhinoceros,  (showing  the 
e'nds  of  two  hairs.) 

Fig.  10  b,  page  17. — A  horizontal  section  of  the  same,  (also  showing  the  hairs.) 

Fig.  11,  page  19 — A  transverse  section  of  the  Spine  of  the  Porcupine,  (showing  its 
complicated  internal  conformation.) 
44 


J76  LIST  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES. 

Fig.  12,  page  19. — The  Spine  of  the  Pecary.  1,  the  button,  neck,  and  a  small  part  of 
the  shaft ;  2,  a  transverse  section  of  the  button ,  3  and  4,  transverse  sections  of  the  shaft ; 
5,  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  cortex;  6,  the  termination  of  the  shaft;  7,  a  longitudinal 
section  of  the  stellated  figure,  No.  4. 

Fig.  13,  page  21. — The  Whisker  of  the  Possum;  a  and  b,  the  stalk,  (with  its  posterior 
extremity  perforated,  and  no  button;)  c  and  d,  transverse  sections  of  the  same,  (showing 
the  large  canal  in  the  centre.) 

Fig.  14,  page  22. — A  longitudinal  section  of  a  Bristle,  (showing  the  disrupted  fibres  of 
the  interior.) 

Fig.  16,  page  25. — A  transverse  section  of  the  Tail  of  the  Hippopotamus,  (showing  the 
ends  of  the  fibres.) 

Fig.  16,  2,  page  25. — A  transverse  section  of  the  Tail  of  the  Elephant. 

NOTE. — These  two  last  figures  ought  to  have  been  numbered  "15."  In  consequence  of 
this  mistake,  No.  16  has  to  be  repeated  in  Chapter  II. 

CHAPTER    II. 

Fig.  16  a,  page  27. — Button  of  one  of  the  Oval-Haired  Species — as  it  appeared  imme- 
*ately  after  it  was  drawn — (showing  the  cells.) 

Fig.  16  b,  page  27. — The  same  as  it  appeared  after  it  had  been  drawn  a  few  days. 

Fig.  17,  page  27. — Another  Button  on  a  Hair  from  the  same  Head. 

Fig.  18,  page  27. — A  Hair  drawn  out  of  the  Biitton,  (showing  the  posterior  portion  of 
the  shaft.) 

Fig.  19,  page  28. — A  Button  upon  a  Hair  that  fell  out. 

Fig.  21  1,  page  28. — Button  of  a  Female  pure  American  Indian's  Hair. 

Fig.  21 2,  page  28. — Button  of  a  Male  pure  American  Indian's  Hair. 

Fig.  21  3,  page  28. — Another  of  the  same. 

Fig.  22,  page  28. — Button  of  a  pure  African  Pile. 

Fig.  24  1,  page  29. — Button  of  a  Hair  of  the  Meatus  Auditorius  Externus. 

Fig.  242,  page  29. — Another  from  the  same;  a,  a  vessel;  b,  a  portion  of  the  disrupted 
issue. 

Fig.  25  1,  page  29. — Button  of  the  Supercilium  of  a  very  fat  person;  a,  a  part  of  the 
shaft;  b,  the  button;  c,  a  part  of  the  follicle;  d,  a  portion  of  the  disrupted  tissue. 

Fig.  252,  page  29. — Another  of  the  same,  (with  two  vessels  at  the  posterior  extremity.) 

Fig.  26 «,  page  30. — Button  of  the  Cilium.  (This  specimen  has  been  artificially 
deprived  of  the  greater  part  of  the  coloring  matter,  so  as  to  exhibit  the  interior  arrange- 
ment.) 

Fig.  26  b,  page  30. — A  Hair  of  the  Cilium,  drawn  out  of  the  Button,  (showing  the 
cortex,  and  a  small  portion  of  the  disrupted  tissue.) 

Fig.  27,  page  30. — Button  of  a  Hair  of  the  Nasal  Fossae.  It  is  sub-oval;  the  neck  is 
distorted ;  a,  the  shaft ;  b,  marked  with  transverse  striae ;  c,  a  portion  of  coloring  matter  in 
the  centre. 


LIST  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES.  177 

Fig.  28  a,  page  30. — Button  of  the  Hair  of  the  Beard,  which  grew  under  the  chin,  with 
a  portion  of  the  follicle  and  disrupted  tissue. 

Fig.  28  b,  page  30. — Three  Shafts  growing  out  of  one  Button  of  the  Beard. 

Fig.  29  a,  page  32. — Button  of  a  Hair  of  the  Axillae,  (exhibiting  a  portion  of  the  shaft, 
the  follicle,  and  vessels.) 

Fig.  29  b,  page  32. — Another  of  the  same,  (with  its  vessels  as  seen  in  the  transverse 
section  of  the  skin  of  a  male  of  25.) 

Fig.  30,  page  32. — A  Button  of  a  Hair  of  the  Pubes;  a,  the  button;  b,  a  portion  of  the 
follicle;  c,  the  shaft;  d,  the  tissue,  disrupted  and  torn  out  of  the  soft,  sebaceous  skin. 

Fig.  31  a,  page  33. — Button  of  a  Hair  of  the  Forearm ;  a,  the  button;  b,  portion  of  the 
follicle ;  c,  the  shaft ;  d,  a  part  of  a  disrupted  vessel ;  e,  a  portion  of  the  tissue. 

Fig  31  b,  page  33. — A  Button  of  a  Hair  of  the  back  of  the  Hand. 

Fig.  32  a,  page  33. — The  Hair  of  a  Mexican  Mummy,  with  no  Button.  (The  posterior 
termination  of  the  shaft  is  inclined,  and  some  minute  vessels  make  their  appearance.) 

Fig.  32  &,  page  33. — The  Hair  of  a  Peruvian  Mummy,  with  its  diminutive  Button. 

Fig.  33,  page  33. — Button  of  an  Ovarian  Hair-;  a,  the  button;  b,  the  shaft,  showing  the 
scales  of  the  cortex;  c,  a  white  substance  with  which  the  hair  is  enveloped. 

Fig.  34  a,  page  34. — Outlines  of  the  Buttons  of  Hairs  of  some  of  the  Lower  Animals, 
viz:  A,  the  Troglodyte  Gorilla;  B,  Horse;  C,  Zebra;  D,  Cow;  E,  the  Arabian  Bull 
Calf;  F,  the  Gnou;  G,  Rocky  Mountain,  American  or  Long-Horned  Antelope;  H,  Elk; 
J,  the  Lama;  K,  Dasyprocta  Nigra;  L,  Kangaroo  Rat;  M,  Dicranoceros  Americanus. 

Fig.  34:  b,  page  34. — Button  of  the  Animals  that  have  a  Paved  Cortex. 

Fig.  36,  page  35. — The  Shaft  of  a  Hair  fractured  in  the  centre,  and  the  fibres  obtrud- 
ing. 

Fig.  37  a,  page  35. — Pile  of  the  Oval-Haired  Species,  furcated. 

Fig.  37  b,  page  35. — Pile  of  the  Eccentrically  Elliptical  Species,  furcated. 

Fig.  38  a,  page  35. — Pile  of  the  Cylindrical-Haired  Species,  tri-furcated. 

Fig.  38  b,  page  35. — Pile  of  the  same,  quadra-furcated. 

Fig.  39,  page  35. — Pile  of  one  of  the  Oval-Haired  Species,  so  much  furcated  as  to 
resemble  a  brush. 

Fig.  40,  page  36. — "Branched"  Pile;  a,  posterior  extremity;  b  and  c,  appear  to  be  two 
separate  shafts ;  d,  a  branch  of  b,  and  e,  a  branch  of  c. 

Fig.  43,  page  37. — A  Ribbon  of  Cortex,  from  the  Spine  of  the  Pecary. 

Fig.  44,  page  37.— The  Paved  Cortex  of  the  Hair  of  the  Elk. 

Fig.  45  1,  2,  3,  4  and  5,  pages  40  and  41.— The  Pile  of  the  Three-Toed  Sloth.  1,  the 
cortex  and  the  interior,  when  the  cortex  is  removed;  2,  the  fissures  in  the  cortex;  3,  the 
grains  into  which  the  cortex  divides;  4,  a  disk;  5,  tufts  of  the  wool. 

Fig.  46  a,  page  41. — The  Intermediate  Fibres  of  Pile,  deprived  of  the  cortex,  except  in 
one  place  left  for  comparison. 

Fig.  46  £,  page  41. — Fibres  of  the  Hair  of  one  of  the  Oval-Piled  Species. 

Fig.  46  c,  page  41. — Fibres  of  a  Hair  of  the  same,  laboring  under  the  disease  of  Scro- 
fula, having  separated  in  the  art  of  drawing  the  hair  out  of  the  head. 


178  LIST  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES. 

Fig.  46  d,  page  41. — Fibres  of  the  Hair  of  the  Head  of  one  of  the  Cylindrical-Piled 
Species. 

Fig.  47,  page  41. — A  Crushed  Hair;  a,  the  crushed  part,  where  the  diameter  is  ^  of 
an  inch;  b,  the  part  not  crushed,  where  the  diameter  is  ^{^ 

Fig.  48,  page  42. — a,  b,  c  and  d,  Transverse  Sections  or  Disks  of  Pile;  a,  hair  disk  in 
Plica  Polonica ;  b,  of  an  Indian  hair  ;  c,  of  a  hybrid,  Indian  and  white ;  d,  of  an  oval-haired 
person. 

Fig.  49,  page  42. — a,  b  and  c,  the  Central  Portion  of  Pile;  a,  the  hair  of  one  of  the 
oval-piled  species,  artificially  made  transparent,  to  show  the  coloring  matter;  b,  pile  of  the 
eccentrically  elliptical,  which  has  undergone  the  same  operation ;  c,  the  coloring  matter  in 
grains. 

Fig.  50  a  and  b,  page  43. — Pile  of  the  Dog-Faced  Monkey,  where  the  coloring  matter 
is  in  dots  and  lines. 

Fig.  50  c,  page  43. — Pile  of  the  Bat,  where  the  coloring  matter  is  in  crucible-shaped 
bands. 

Fig.  50  d,  page  43. — Pile  of  the  African  Bat,  where  the  coloring  matter  is  in  the  cortex 
and  fibres. 

Fig.  50  e,  pages  43  and  44. — Examples  where  the  coloring  matter  is  of  two  or  more 
colors,  but  appears  to  the  eye  to  be  one  only. 

Fig.  51,  page  46. — The  Sheath  of  Pile  in  a  diseased  case. 

Fig.  52,  page  48. — Hairs  without  a  Button;  52 a,  hair  of  a  five  months'  foetus;  52 b,  a 
nine  months'  foetus;  a,  the  posterior  termination  of  the  main  shaft;  b,  the  shaft;  c  c,  two 
other  hairs,  one  on  each  side,  adhering  to  the  main  shaft;  52 c,  hair  of  the  Horse  Diligence. 

Fig.  53,  pages  48  and  49. — a,  b,  c,  d,  e,f,  g,  the  formation  of  Follicles;  a,  the  granules; 
b,  the  lines  and  fibres;  c,  the  button  just  forming;  d,  the  button  formed;  e  and  f,  the 
follicle  just  forming ;  g,  the  follicle  formed. 

Fig.  54 a,  b,  c,  page  49. — Follicles  of  the  three  Species;  a,  the  oval-haired;  b,  the 
cylindrical-haired ;  c,  the  eccentrically  elliptical-piled. 

Fig  55,  page  49. — Follicle  of  a  Hybrid. 

Fig.  56,  page  50. — Vessels  of  Pile. 

NOTE. — See  also  figs.  24,  29,  31,  for  Vessels  of  Pile. 

CHAPTER    III. 

Fig.  57,  p.  51. — Examples  of  the  three  General  Forms  of  Pile;  A,  the  cylindrical;  B, 
the  oval,  and  C,  the  eccentrically  elliptical  species. 

Fig.  58,  page  52. — The  Particular  Forms  of  Pile;  from  A  to  a,  cylindroidal;  from  a  to 
B,  the  lesser  ovoidal;  from  B  to  b,  greater  ovoidal ;  from  b  to  C,  cylindroidal. 

Fig.  59,  page  53,  (but  there  erroneously  called  "  Fig.  58.") — The  Spiral  Curl  of  one 
of  the  pure  Eccentrically  Elliptical  Species. 

Fig.  60,  page  57. — The  Trichometer. 

Fig.  61,  page  67. — See  Title  Page  for  the  heads  of  the  three  Species. 


LIST  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES.  179 

CHAPTER    IV. 
Fig.  62,  page  91. — Pile  viewed  by  Polarized  Light. 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Fig.  79,  page  111. — Hair  in  Plica  Polonica. 

Fig.  80,  page  112. — Hair  in  Tinea  Capitis. 

Fig.  81,  page  113. — Hair  in  Softening  of  the  Brain. 

Fig.  82,  page  119. — Hair  of  Lunatics. 

a,  Hair  of  a  Lunatic  from  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital. 

b,  "         "         "  Frankford  Asylum. 

c,  "         "         "  "        Staunton,  Va.,  Asylum. 

d,  "  "  The  Ohio  Asylum. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Fig.  95,  page  133. — The  Revolver  and  Stretcher. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Fig.  96,  page  143. — Pile  of  the  Mazama. 
Fig.  97,  page  147. — Pile  of  the  Lama. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Fig.  98  a  and  b,  page  156. — Explanation  of  the  Scales  on  the  Spiral  Curls  of  Wool, 

Fig.  99,  page  172. — The  Woolly  Sheep. 

Fig.  100,  page  172. — Example  of  the  Hairy  Sheep. 


CORRECTIONS. 


Page  8,  line  3,  of  note  *,  for  "filamentus"  read  "filamentous." 

Page  12,  line  1,  for  "mystecetus"  read  "mystecetus." 

Page  19,  last  line  but  one,  for  "andar  e"  read  "and  are." 

Page  25,  line  13,  for  "cerous"  read  "cermis." 

Page  31,  last  line,  for  "axilla"  read  axill«." 

Page  33,  line  29,  for  "no"  read  "a  diminutive." 

Page  36,  line  17,  for  "/"  read  "we." 

Page  37,  line  9,  for  "42"  read  "44." 

Page  41,  line  4,  for  "fissure"  read  "fissures." 

Page  48,  line  16,  for  "53"  read  "52." 

Page  53,  line  9,  for  "58"  read  "59." 

Page  90,  line  8,  for  "di"  read  "de." 

Page  93,  line  10,  for  "of"  read  "and." 

Page  93,  line  24,  for  "in"  read  "on." 

Page  105,  line  24,  for  "manipulation"  read  "manipulations." 

Page  106,  line  17,  for  "platypAus"  read  "platypus." 

Page  133,  between  lines  4  and  5,  on  the  figure,  for  "a"  substitute  "D." 

Page  136,  line  11,  for  "Ta^pa"  read  "Ta^pa." 

Page  137,  line  5,  for  "forming"  read  "form." 


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